Gallery of the Sistine Chapel ceiling
The Sistine Chapel ceiling, painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512, is one of the most renowned artworks of the High Renaissance. Central to the ceiling decoration are nine scenes from the Book of Genesis the most famous of which is The Creation of Adam, the hands of God and Adam being reproduced in countless imitations. The complex design includes multiple groups of individual figures, both clothed and nude, allowing Michelangelo to fully demonstrate his skill in depicting a wide variety of human poses, and has since served as an enormously influential reference for other artists.Iconography and Themes
The ceiling is an elaborate visual theology, focused on nine scenes from the Book of Genesis, such as the Creation of the World, the Fall of Man, and Noah's story. These are surrounded by a sequence of ignudi, both decorative and symbolic, and perhaps symbolizing idealized man or angelic beings.
Flanking the center panels are alternating sibyls and prophets—individuals of both the Jewish and the Greco-Roman traditions—who were thought to have prophesied the arrival of the Messiah. The use of both religious and classical figures is a manifestation of Renaissance humanist concern for balancing Christian theology with classical philosophy. Over the windows are lunettes and spandrels illustrating the ancestors of Christ, bridging the Old Testament histories with the New Testament genealogy as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew.Artistic Techniques
Michelangelo painted the ceiling frescoes in the buon fresco technique, placing pigments on newly applied wet plaster, so that the color became a part of the wall surface while it dried. He created an advanced scaffold system, hung from the walls and not from the floor, so that he could paint high above the interior of the chapel. The figures, characterized by powerful muscles and dynamic movement, are a result of Michelangelo's extensive study of human anatomy, presumably due to classical sculpture and cadaver dissections he performed during his youth.Biblical narratives
Along the centre of the ceiling are nine scenes depicting the Story of Creation, the Downfall of Humanity and the Story of Noah as told in the Book of Genesis.Prophets and Sibyls
The Prophets of Israel and the Sibyls of the pagan world foretold the coming of the Messiah. Both have been included by Michelangelo as a sign that the Messiah was to come not just for the Jews but also for the Gentiles.Pendentives
The four corner pendentives show violent episodes in which the People of Israel were rescued from enemies, or from their own sinful ways.Ancestors
The ancestors of Jesus are listed in the Biblical books of Matthew and Luke. This is the first known large painted series, although they were often shown in stained glass. See Tree of Jesse. Although each picture has a title, the characters cannot be positively identified.Spandrels
Above the windows are a series of families with young children. The children may represent particular children who are mentioned in the Bible, such as Isaac and Samuel. The composition of many of the pictures is similar to that found in depictions of the Holy Family resting on the Flight into Egypt.Ignudi
The Ignudi that surround the narrative scenes may show the perfection of Humanity, or may represent angels. They were often imitated by other artists.Shields
There are 10 shields representing violent episodes in the history of Israel.