In 1535, Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni was commissioned to paint The Last Judgement on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel. The decision came on the heels of a major identity crisis that had erupted & spread across Europe, manifesting itself as significant political and religious instability. With these recent events in mind, over the course of six years, Michelangelo began his final contributions to the Sistine Chapel. On the surface, the last judgment may seem like a visual of what judgment day could look like, but upon further examination, one may find that it encompasses a wide variety of religious & political symbolism, shrouded by details that express uncertainty for the future of humanity. Beyond just a sacred piece of art, The Last Judgment maintains its own identity. This piece of art is composed of stories, emotion, and personality, and lives on to be a beacon of historical and religious merit with an emphasis on artistic symbolism.
Following his successors, Pope Clement VII had resorted to simony, and engaged in the selling of indulgences to fund the beautification of Vatican City. Initially, Michelangelo had been commissioned to paint a Fall of the Rebel Angels, but before he could begin his work, Pope Clement VII suddenly passed away and left the project in an uncertain state. During the pontificate of Pope Clement VII's successor Pope Paul III who continued with the patronship of Michelangelo. Pope Paul III suggested that rather than painting a Fall of the Rebel Angels, it was more fitting that the Last Judgment is painted instead. Michelangelo agreed and began working on his interpretation of the last judgment.
Cultural Context
Michelangelo began his work on the Last Judgment following the Sack of Rome, and the Protestant Reformation, an event which shook the very foundation of the church. The Protestant which began in 1517 C.E came on the heels of a long line of popes that had engaged in multiple layers of corruption, and false teaching to fund the beautification and improvement of Vatican City. In 1527 C.E, The Sack of Rome manifested as a result of Pope Clements tactless conduct with political alliances such as the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, and French king Francis I. Accompanying Charles V’s army was the German land-knechts, a massive group of anti-papal Lutherans.
For two decades, Italy had been in a constant state of war, which contributed to the societies chaos. The last judgment reflected this uncertainty and the apocalyptic worldview of the 1530’s. Gone were the days of a hopeful vision for humanity reflected in Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling. A new age had been ushered in. As a result, he resorted to rejecting the techniques of the High Renaissance, & created a new style called Mannerism. Mannerism is characterized by spatial ambiguity, dissent colors, frantic action, exaggeration, and disunity, all of which can be found in the Last Judgment. This style gave a sense of chaos, which was reflective of the times.
The Last Judgment, based on the Gospel of Matthew, was dark and gritty, composed of tormented souls. Historically, in depictions of the last judgment, figures were arranged according to social class. In Michelangelo's interpretation, he does away with social class by painting all of the figures nude. In the center of the painting, Christ is positioned so that his right arm is raised, beckoning the elect to heaven, while simultaneously positioned to cast down the condemned. In fact, he is shifted so that he is focusing on the condemned, so much so that it looks as if their actions may consume his thoughts. Above Christ, see the tools of his torture and death. On his left is the pillar where he was scourged, and on his left, we see the cross where he was crucified. Surrounding Christ, we can identify various saints. On Christ’s right, we see the Virgin Mary, St. Peter whom we identify by the keys he holds. On Christ’s left, we see St. Bartholomew who is clutching the flayed skin that symbolizes his death. The face of the flayed skin is rumored by some to have have been a self-portrait of Michelangelo and by others a portrait of Pietro Aretino who was said to have criticized an unfinished draft of Michelangelo's work and thus earned him a place in the Last Judgment.
In the top center of the forty-five by forty foot tall painting, Christ divides the condemned and the elect. The angel's blow their trumpets and the blessed rise to Christ’s right while the condemned are cast down towards the smoke and fire on his left side. On Christ’s left, we see Charon, a borrowed figure from Greek mythology, beating the damned souls into his boat, as he prepares to deliver them into the underworld. In the very bottom right corner of the painting, we can see a lone figure with donkey ears that is supposed to be king Minos but maintains the likeness of a man named Biagio da Cesena, who was Pope Paul III’s master of ceremonies. This was essentially Michelangelo's revenge on Cesena for daring to accuse him of painting obscurities unfit for a chapel. Michelangelo depicts Cesena as having a snake coiled around his body that simultaneously devours his genitals while covering his nudity. When Cesena complained to Pope Paul III about the depiction, it was said that the Pope shrugged his shoulders and joked that he had no dominion over hell so, the portrait would remain.
Like every Christian in the fifteen hundreds, Michelangelo had to come to terms with the corruption of the Catholic church and was forced into an awareness of the profound awareness and revelations concerning righteousness that spread across Europe. These revelations undoubtedly influenced his work. Every Pope from Pope Paul III onward would stand before the painting on the altar wall as they gave mass, with the blessed and the damned looming above them. The last judgment is depicted as a structurally unsound pile of bodies, scrambling heavenward, that looks as though it could come tumbling down at any moment.
Throughout the world, Michelangelo’s artistic influence is on that remains unparalleled. The Last Judgment is an embodiment of the internal, and external struggles of the times. This physical manifestation of the turmoil caused in the wake of the Protestant Reformation would echo through history, and transcend generations in its impact, the effect of which can still be felt today.