Abstract
This paper discusses Michelangelo's work in the Sistine Chapel and delves into the dramatic differences between that fresco and later work done by the painter. Further, the paper explores the cultural development of Renaissance society and how Michelangelo's own changing worldview lead to a shift in the painter's style, tactics and subject matter. The author finds that while Michelangelo's earlier work in the Sistine Chapel reflects his optimistic view of humanity, his later work reflects a new found cynicism.

From the Paper
"The Renaissance was one of the most creative moments in history, but was also a time of internal conflict, foreign invasion, political upheavals and instability. During this time the centre of cultural development switched from Florence to Rome as popes used their wealth to attract and pay the best artists possible in an attempt to make Rome the most beautiful city in the world."

Tags:Michelangelo, The Last Judgement, Sistine Chapel, High Renaissance

Abstract
This paper discusses Michelangelo's painting of the Sistine Chapel in terms of its natural, functional, cultural, and art world context.

From the Paper
"Michelangelo Buounarroti was the son of Ludovico, born in Caprese on March ... His mother died when he was only six years old, apprenticed at the age of ... to the Florentine studio of Ghirlandaio, he remained in this position for three years, coming to the attention of Lorenzo the Magnificent, the Medici scion whose patronage was instrumental in introducing Michelangelo to Pico della Mirandola and the sculptor, Bertoldo, a disciple of Donatello. Through his association with the Medici, Michelangelo..."

Tags:Michelangelo, Sistine Chapel

Abstract
The paper gives a detailed explanation of the work Michelangelo did on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The paper explains his method, techniques and problems that he experienced during the four years it took to paint.The paper also explains the story of the ceiling and tells us that there are subplots that can be seen. According to the paper, this work is considered to be one of the greatest accomplishments of all time.

From the Paper
"'A letter dated May 10, 1506 was the first evidence that Michelangelo was considered for the job. By this time, Julius had decided that Michelangelo would repaint the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Bramante, Julius' chief architect, discouraged the idea that Michelangelo be considered for the job. He questioned Michelangelo's lack of experience with painting figures and designing them in foreshortening, which he felt was essential for ceiling decoration. He also questioned whether Michelangelo had "the courage" to take on such a huge task. It has been suggested that Bramante wanted Raphael of Urbino who was a fellow townsman of Bramante to paint the ceiling, but commitments in Florence prevented him from being seriously considered. After Michelangelo had received this letter and gotten word of Bramante's negative statements of his abilities and character, he dropped an important fresco commitment in Florence and took on the task of repainting the famed Sistine Chapel. This may have been where the Bramante-Michelangelo feud originated and spanned years afterwards. He had hired five assistants to aid him in painting process. All in all, Michelangelo had painted three hundred and thirty-six assorted figures on the Sistine ceiling. This was an incredible feat and in the present, three hundred thirty-five and one-half of these figures remain. Michelangelo had proved Bramante wrong and turned the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel to one of the greatest artistic feats of the Renaissance or any period in time. The paintings on the ceiling are done in fresco, which is an incredibly difficult and daunting process. It has been described by many artists to be the most "macho" and "manly" form of the great painting methods where only the most confident and talented artists could excel. In a way, the fresco method of painting is similar to the lore of Michelangelo, almost mythical and larger than life. The method of fresco painting is somewhat simplistic, but incredibly difficult to master. An area of wet plaster is laid down on a specifically prepared ground, and then the artist paints on it. The colors of the pigments applied to the plaster fuse together while it dries. The result is a beautiful union of colors and plaster that cannot be matched by any other method of painting. Oil paints on canvas do bring out an inner glow, but it pails to the majestic quality of fresco. Each area of the plaster that is to be painted is called a giornata, a day's work. The problems of fresco painting are somewhat obvious. The time that the artist has to apply the paint is very limited and it usually means that the artist has only one attempt to successfully accomplish their objective before the plaster dries. The artist's first brushstroke is incredibly important because of this major time constraint. The penalty of not doing so means that the giornata must be destroyed and the whole process must be repeated all over again. This happened to Michelangelo and he had to destroy one of Christ's ancestors in the Achim and Eliud lunette. Fresco is obviously not suited for the faint hearted. The advantages of fresco must be seen first hand to truly understand its beauty. Michelangelo was a master of fresco painting because of the skill and efficiency of his technique. When the ceiling is analyzed, it is obvious that Michelangelo was incredibly efficient with his limited brushstrokes. It was obvious that Michelangelo worked with great speed, which is probably the most impressive aspect of the ceiling. One reason Michelangelo was able to paint so efficiently is because he utilized the backgrounds of the plaster; for example, he left the white in Adam's eye unpainted so the white color of the plaster would provide life. The famous little penis of Adam consisted of only two brushstrokes and must have taken him no more than a couple of seconds to complete. It only took Michelangelo a couple of seconds to paint something that has been and will continue to be admired by the whole world. That idea is just so unbelievable to comprehend. The ceiling of the Chapel was painted in two parts. The first part of the ceiling took Michelangelo about three years to complete. By the end of August 1510, the first half of the ceiling was finished. The second half took about fourteen months to complete. This is quite a difference in time and a very interesting situation".

Tags:Michelangelo, Sistine, chapel, fresco, method

Abstract
This paper discusses two studies of Michelangelo's Magnifici Tomb in the Medici Chapel towards complementary, as opposed to different, conclusions. The studies reviewed are Andrew Morrogh's "The Magnifici Tomb - a Key Project in Michelangelo's Architectural
Career" and Estelle Lingo's "The Evolution of Michelangelo's Magnifici Tomb - Program versus Process in the Iconography of the Medici Chapel".
The paper relates that both studies are authoritative and careful contributions to the study of the Medici Chapel, the tomb in question and the career of Michelangelo. The paper also asserts that their different vantage points on the Magnifici Tomb help along what should be a broad approach to any artifact or installation, investigating origins, features and salient details in relation to context, remembering that there shall forever be different opinions which can be powerful guides towards personal appreciation and further study.

Outline:
Introduction
Andrew Morrogh - The Magnifici Tomb as a Key Project.
Estelle Lingo - Program versus Process and Iconography
Discussion

From the Paper
"The errors made by Michelangelo included the level at which the viewer examined them, the focal point of three statues too low, a statue of the Madonna, on the other hand, requiring a higher viewing point. (p.594) As Morrogh concluded, imperfections and all, Michelangelo had been able to exercise considerable license in what he designed so tentatively and in its results, thanks to the nature of his patron. Michelangelo had mixed opinions concerning the tradition of classicism that would have satisfied many sculptors of his day, but his results were not just innovative but 'difficult' as Morrogh comments, still apt to draw mixed reviews from those examining the Magnifici Tomb in the present. From this article, the reader obtains much detail and most readers will enjoy the illustrations of very different drawings to which Morrogh refers, a familiar aspect of the Medici Chapel revealed to have been a much changing or even piecemeal affairs thanks to the patronage of Pope Clement who seems to have recognized Michelangelo's originality and given it free reign. One leaves this article with the impression of having enjoyed a 'solid' few pages of scholarship, the author plainly knowing far more on Italian Renaissance design and architecture of which this article indicates one quite small topic."

Tags:installation, origins, features, details, guide, history

Abstract
This paper discusses Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel paintings and their relationship to the High Renaissance. The paper looks at how frescoes were a part of the High Renaissance and how Michelangelo changed the original concept of the ceiling and chapel to include both humanistic and classical inferences.

From the Paper
"The purpose of this paper is to discuss Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel paintings and their relationship to the High Renaissance. When Julius II became Pope, he immediately proceeded toward the restoration of the Vatican then the capital of Western Christendom. He decided to finish the ceiling of the papal chapel previously decorated as a star-studded heaven just above some saintly figures more grandly than it had enjoyed before. In this way ,the most complex and grandiose program of painting that is to be found..."

Tags:High Renaissance, Michelangelo, the Last Judgement, frescoes, religious painting and art

Abstract
In this article, the writer discusses that humanism and its admiration for the classics was reflected in the art of Renaissance, as the Renaissance artists admired the classical form in ancient art and reflected this in their work. The writer concentrates on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel created by Michelangelo.

From the Paper
"Renaissance was an intellectual movement in Europe that affected its cultural, political, social, and literary life. This radical change started with the rediscovery of the ancient world. Renaissance humanists admired classical texts and classical thinkers and as such revived the study of Latin and Greek, as well as the study of science, philosophy, art and poetry of classical antiquity."

Tags:art, humanism

Abstract
This paper discusses symbolism and meaning that can be found within Michelangelo's painting of the Sistine Chapel, as well as the possible interpretations of the painting. The paper also describes the scenes in the painting and what could have influenced Michelangelo to paint the ceiling the way he did.

From the Paper
"Michelangelo Buonarroti executed one of the grandest works of the Renaissance at the request of Pope Julius II. This work was the famous fresco ceiling of the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican in Rome. Michelangelo undertook this work in 1508 with some trepidation, for a number of reasons. The first being that he considered himself primarily a sculptor, secondly because a painting of this magnitude would keep him from working on a prior commission for the Popes' tomb at St Peter's Basilica. This project required the use of his skills as an architect and sculptor. But with the desires of the Pope on his shoulders, he was forced instead to focus his energies on this massive painting. In the beginning, Julius was interested in a depiction of the twelve apostles, which would replace Pope Sixtus IV's blue sky. Eventually, though, Michelangelo was given a free hand to proceed with the painting as he desired, and the result was one of the most complex and exuberant works ever created. When observing this work, it is to do it a great injustice by not considering it as a theological and intellectual exercise, in addition to being very strong aesthetically. This scholarly consideration raises a good deal of questions about the intellectual programme that motivated Michelangelo. The assumption that the plan behind this work was random is of course a possibility, but considering what we know of both the artist and the time period, it can be accepted that this work was the product of a great deal of religious and historical study. The amount of symbolism within the work is astounding, and because of its great depth and intricacies of meaning, whether or not Michelangelo arrived at this programme independently comes into question. More important, however, is the work itself: its symbols and how the viewer interprets them."

Tags:christian, theological, neo-platonic, medici, court, humanist, savonarola, bible, dante

Abstract
The paper relates that the art in Italy during the 13th century was still under the strong influence of the Byzantine tradition. The paper explains that the artists were working in two dimensions thus neglecting all reality of three-dimensional space, and the figures lacked reality of expression and were treated in Bazin's words "like a playing card" (7). The paper discusses how within this heritage, Giotto di Bondone started his career creating an opus that would change the Italian as well as European art forever. Despite the fact that only a few works out of dozens are generally accepted as Giotto's, there seems to be little doubt among scholars that he initiated the revolution (Debres and Sandona 2).

From the Paper
"The art in Italy during the 13th century was still under the strong influence of the Byzantine tradition. The artists were working in two dimensions thus neglecting all reality of three-dimensional space. The figures lacked reality of expression and were treated in Bazin's words "like a playing card" (7). Within this heritage Giotto di Bondone started his career creating an opus that will change the Italian as well as European art forever. Despite the fact that only a few works out of dozens are generally accepted as Giotto's, there seems to be little doubt among scholars that he initiated the revolution (Debres and Sandona, 2)."

Tags:giotto, arena chapel, renaissance

Abstract
This paper discusses articles by Andrew Morrogh and Estelle Lingo and highlights their different orientations and how art history must be researched broadly and with careful attention to detail. The paper shows how the articles are different yet complementary; both show variations in design and exeuction and also intended function through the period of Michelangelo's work.

From the Paper
"This paper discusses two studies of Michelangelo's "Magnifici Tomb in the Medici Chapel" towards complementary as opposed to different conclusions. Both are authoritative and careful contributions to the study of the Medici Chapel, the tomb in question and the career of Michelangelo. At the same time, their different vantage points on the Magnifici Tomb help along what should be a broad approach to any artifact or installation, investigating origins, features and salient details in relation to..."

Tags:morrogh, lingo, magnifici tomb

From the Paper
" The purpose of this research is to examine the artistic decoration of the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo. The plan of the research will be to set forth the historical context in which the decoration of the chapel was undertaken, and then to discuss the work with reference to Michelangelo's sculpture and decor of other churches in the preceding periods, as well as to the significance of Michelangelo's complex relationship with Pope Julius II for the project.

The historical context for Michelangelo's decoration of the Sistine Chapel is the tension in the fifteenth century between the Church as the dominant institution in Europe and the increasing secularism of culture. In this regard, Gutek believes that the cultural traditions of the classical period never quite disappeared from the time of the fall of Rome and the emergence.."