The Last Judgment was painted by the Italian Renaissance painter Michelangelo. born in the Republic of Florence, the Italian sculptor, painter, architect and poet of the High Renaissance lived from (6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564). The pope hired Michelangelo who considered himself as a sculptor not a painter to covering the whole altar wall of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. He depicts the Second Coming of Christ and the final judgment by God on all humanity. In the Catholicism religion Jesus Christ was born from a virgin woman by God to save the human race from there sins. He lived his whole life proclaiming the good news of God and saying he is the son of God. Well the Jewish rabbis didn’t like that very much and ordered him to be crucified for blasphemy. The seconded coming is told in Thessalonians and The Book of Revelations which says "For the Father judges no one but has committed all judgment to the Son" (John 5:22). The Lord Jesus will be the final judge of mankind (spiritual gold). The spirts of the humans who have passed rise and fall to their fates, as Christ and the saints around him judge the human. The work took over four years to complete between 1536 and 1541. Michelangelo was scandalized by people because of his nudity pictures despite its theological accuracy, for the resurrected would enter heaven not clothed but nude, as created by God (Dr. Esperanca Camara).
The man who commissioned him to paint the Sistine Chapel was Pope Julius II. Pope Julius II and Michelangelo didn’t get along very well in the beginning, in fact he denied the offer. But after the long disagreement about the vision of the painting Julius II finally gave into Michelangelo’s way. They went back and forth at each other with Julius II frequently complained about the pace Michelangelo, while Michelangelo questioned his slow payments (Bruce Kauffmann).Nicknamed “The Warrior Pope,” Pope Julius II wasn’t really focused on Michelangelo, he was worrying about the French, papal state, or anyone he feels a threat (Bruce Kauffmann).
While traditional medieval last judgments paintings show their figures dressed by their social ranking(figure 1) Michelangelo created a new standard(Lauren Mitchell Reuhring). His controversial concept took a different approach to the traditional way by depicting figures very detailed in the nude creating equality in the people which makes you look deeper into the masterpiece to see the division of rank. Giotto’s and many others Last Judgement you see Jesus centered with a bright ring around him larger than the rest of the figures (see figure 1). The separation between the different rankings are very defined and the painting is also organized well compared to Michelangelo’s (figure 2). with that, Michelangelo’s Jesus is centered but he is the same size as the figures around him with only a small bright yellow light behind him (see figure 2). The painting separates the ranks but its scattered all over the painting in a feeling of panic and stress. It even seems that Jesus is in a state of panic with the stance he is positioned in.
Over 300 figures sprawled out across this massive 45 by 39-foot wall, all incredibly detailed with muscles definition and facial features (Dr. Esperanca Camara). Because Michelangelo doesn’t have social positions ranked with dress he does it with many separations. Going vertical with the painting from a viewer perspective the blessed are ascending into heaven on the left and the damned descending on the right down to the boat in the lower right. But the blessed are actually on Jesus’ right and the damned on the left because in the catholic religion left is associated with the devil and all left-handed people were saw as witches or demons. From the book of Matthew in the new testament he talks about the judgment day when Christ comes “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34) and “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). The second dividing is three horizontal lines, the top looks mostly of saints and angels with instruments and holding Jesus’ cross symbolizing the passion of Christ (Dr. Esperanca Camara). the second are people in heaven looking to Jesus for his next decision now they have reached heaven. Third level is purgatory, on Christs right the dead coming out from their graves, some rise up freely, while others are assisted by herculean angels rescuing from hell (Dr. Esperanca Camara). On the Christ’s left “demons drag the damned to hell, while angels beat down those who struggle to escape their fate” (Dr. Esperanca Camara).
The last judgment is a fresco painting which is “the art or technique of painting on a moist, plaster surface with colors ground up in water or a limewater mixture” (dictionary.com). it was considered to be a monochromatic painting because it is dominated by the tones of the nude bodies and sky (Lauren Mitchell Reuhring). But because the Last Judgment is behind the altar of the chapel, the burning candles create a darker cover of burn wax on it. “The cleaning and restoration of the fresco, however, revealed a greater chromatic range than previously apparent. Orange, green, yellow, and blue are scattered throughout, animating and unifying the complex scene (Laruen Mitchell Ruehring)”. The brighter colors of blue, yellow and green are used for the top of the painting for heaven and The darker orange, red and black are found at the bottom representing hell.
Michelangelo’s insertion of himself into his painting to me is really interesting and surprising it was passed by the pope (figure #3). His is the face on the flayed skin held by St. Bartholomew because the flayed skin would bring to mind not only the circumstances of the saint’s martyrdom but also the flaying of Marsyas by Apollo (Dr. Esperanca Camara). The story behind Bartholomew is he traveled to India proclaiming the good news of Jesus but one India ruled didn’t like it very much and ordered to have his head cut off. The feud between Marsyas and Apollo is Marysas challenged Apollo to a music contest because he thought his music could rival a Gods. When he lost his Punishment was to be skinned alive (Dr. Esperanca Camara). Michelangelo identify himself because “his contemporaries had titled him the “divine” Michelangelo for his ability to rival God himself in giving form to the ideal body” (Dr. Esperanca Camara). By portraying this he is asking for forgiveness for his sins, hoping Christ, will have mercy and welcome him to the heaven gates.
Michelangelo was one of the most influential not only artist but inventor the world has ever seen. And a time period where don’t much evolution was going on, he came in inventing new groundbreaking ideas and inventions that we still use today. The last judgment is considered one of the most iconic painting of all time because of the magnitude and how he when against the social norm. It depicts one of the most controversial proficiency the bible talks about. He was scandalized because of his nudity and his ideal body depiction back then, but today we understand and praise him for his accuracy of what happened when we go to heaven.