Leo Martínez
Michelangelo's Last Judgment is a fresco painted on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. It is considered one of Michelangelo's greatest masterpieces and is one of the most well-known Renaissance paintings. The painting depicts the Second Coming of Christ and the final judgment of all humanity, with over 300 figures in various states of dynamism and emotion. Michelangelo's work on the fresco began in 1536, 25 years after he completed the Sistine Chapel ceiling, and it was completed in 1541. The Last Judgment is known for its powerful and psychological impact, as well as its inclusion of nudity and muscular figures, which caused controversy at the time.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type of Painting | Fresco |
| Artist | Michelangelo |
| Date | 1534-1541 |
| Location | Sistine Chapel, Vatican City |
| Subject | The Last Judgment |
| Medium | Paint on plaster |
| Style | Renaissance |
| Figures | Over 300 |
| Composition | Dynamic, dense, all-encompassing |
| Colour Palette | Monochromatic, flesh tones, sky blue |
| Nudity | Yes, partially covered later |
| Self-Portrait | Yes, as St. Bartholomew |
| Inspiration | Dante's Inferno, Divine Comedy |
| Patron | Pope Clement VII, Pope Paul III |
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What You'll Learn
The Last Judgement's subject and composition
The Last Judgement by Michelangelo is a fresco depicting the Second Coming of Christ and the final and eternal judgement of humanity by God. It covers the whole altar wall of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. The painting is considered one of Michelangelo's greatest masterpieces and is regarded as one of the most powerful renditions of this moment in the history of Christian art.
The subject of The Last Judgement is the General Resurrection of the Dead, followed by the Last Judgement in Christian eschatology. The painting depicts the dead rising and descending to their fates, as judged by Christ, who is surrounded by prominent saints. The traditional composition of the Last Judgement typically features Christ in Majesty, seated high in the centre, flanked by angels, the Virgin Mary, and John the Evangelist. Michelangelo's version features a youthful Christ standing at the centre, with St. John Baptist and St. Peter flanking him on either side.
Michelangelo's composition reflects the traditional Western depiction of the Last Judgement but with an original approach. The painting is divided into two main sections: the heavenly realm above and the chaotic scene of judgement below. In the upper part, the inhabitants of Heaven are joined by the newly saved, while in the lower part, the saved ascend to Heaven on the left, and the damned descend to Hell on the right. The painting features over 300 figures, with nearly all the males and angels originally shown as nudes, many of whom were later covered up.
Michelangelo's fresco is designed to provoke terror in the viewer, with details such as the damned being pulled down by devils, while also conveying the triumph of Christ and the victory of good over evil. The composition is organised into tiers and quadrants, with subgroups and meaningful pairings that facilitate the fresco's legibility. The overall effect is an all-encompassing scene that expands beyond the viewer's field of vision, implicating the viewer in the judgement that is yet to happen.
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Michelangelo's artistic licence
Michelangelo's The Last Judgment is a fresco depicting the Second Coming of Christ and the final judgment by God of all humanity. It covers the whole altar wall of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. The painting is considered one of Michelangelo's greatest masterpieces and is among the most powerful renditions of this moment in the history of Christian art.
Michelangelo was given considerable artistic licence by his patron, Pope Paul III, to paint scenes not only from the Bible but also from mythology. The painting is inspired by Dante's The Divine Comedy and includes visual and literary references that would have been appreciated by his elite and erudite audience. For example, his inclusion of Charon and Minos was inspired by Dante's Inferno, and the youthful face of Christ references the Apollo Belvedere, an ancient Greek Hellenistic sculpture.
Michelangelo's composition reflects the traditional Western depiction of the Last Judgment, but with a fresh and original approach. He groups figures to create a sense of structure, while also exploring the emotional personality of each individual. The painting is organised into tiers and quadrants, with subgroups and meaningful pairings that facilitate the fresco's legibility.
The Last Judgment was controversial from the start due to its pervasive nudity and muscular style. It was criticised for being insensitive to proper decorum and for pursuing artistic effect over following scriptural description. As a result, Michelangelo's pupil, Daniele da Volterra, was later commissioned to cover the figures' nakedness with draperies, loincloths, and veils.
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The painting's reception
The reception of Michelangelo's The Last Judgment was mixed from the start, with much praise but also criticism on both religious and artistic grounds. The fresco is regarded as one of Michelangelo's greatest masterpieces and is among the most powerful renditions of this moment in the history of Christian art. It is also considered a major tourist attraction in Rome, with tens of thousands of visitors viewing it daily.
The painting is not bound by a painted border and expands beyond the viewer's field of vision. It implicates the viewer, who is forced to imagine themselves among those whose fate is yet to be determined. Michelangelo's educated audience would have delighted in his visual and literary references, such as his inclusion of Charon and Minos, inspired by Dante's Inferno, and his reference to the Apollo Belvedere in the youthful face of Christ.
However, the painting's pervasive nudity was denounced by Biagio da Cesena, the papal master of ceremonies under Paul III, who deemed it "a very disgraceful thing to have made in so honorable a place all those nude figures showing their nakedness so shamelessly". The overall composition was also an area of contention, with Michelangelo's conception differing from traditional compositions, which generally contrasted an ordered, harmonious heavenly world above with the tumultuous events taking place in the earthly zone below.
Shortly after the artist's death in 1564, Daniele da Volterra was hired to cover the nude figures with drapery and repaint certain saints. The fresco was finally uncovered again during restoration work between 1980 and 1994.
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The painting's restoration
The Last Judgment, a fresco by Michelangelo, underwent cleaning and restoration between 1980 and 1994 under the supervision of Fabrizio Mancinelli, the curator of post-classical collections of the Vatican Museums, and Gianluigi Colalucci, head restorer at the Vatican laboratory. During this process, about half of the censorship of the "Fig-Leaf Campaign" was removed, and the chromatic range of the fresco was revealed to be greater than previously apparent.
The restoration of Michelangelo's The Last Judgment revealed the original glory of the fresco, which had been commissioned in 1534 by Pope Clement VII and completed in 1541 under Pope Paul III. The work took over four years to complete, with preparation of the altar wall beginning in 1535. The fresco covers the whole altar wall of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, and depicts the Second Coming of Christ and the final and eternal judgment by God of all humanity.
The Last Judgment is a traditional subject for large church frescoes, but it was unusual to place it at the east end, over the altar. The traditional position was on the west wall, over the main doors at the back of a church. Michelangelo's fresco is more monochromatic than the ceiling frescoes, dominated by the tones of flesh and sky. However, the restoration revealed a greater chromatic range, with orange, green, yellow, and blue scattered throughout, animating and unifying the complex scene.
The reception of the painting was mixed from the start, with much praise but also criticism on religious and artistic grounds. The amount of nudity and the muscular style of the bodies were areas of contention, and the overall composition was criticised for departing from traditional conceptions. The painting was denounced by Biagio da Cesena, the papal master of ceremonies under Paul III, who objected to the nudity of the figures. As a result, at the order of the Council of Trent, much of the nudity was later covered up by Michelangelo's pupil Daniele da Volterra, who became known as "Il Braghettone" ("The Trousers Maker").
The restoration process also involved the removal of about 15 additions that had been made in "dry" fresco after 1600, which made them easier to remove. A strip of about 18 inches had been lost across the whole width of the bottom of the fresco when the altar and its backing were modified in the 16th century.
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The painting's location
Michelangelo's The Last Judgment is located in the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, Rome. It covers the whole altar wall of the chapel, measuring 45 by 39 feet (13.7 by 12 metres).
The Last Judgment was commissioned in 1534 by Pope Clement VII, who specified that the work should include a depiction of Jesus Christ's Resurrection. However, Michelangelo had freedom over the rest of the subject matter. The painting was completed under Pope Paul III, whose reforming views may have influenced the final work.
Michelangelo's fresco was designed for a specific, elite, and erudite audience. This audience would have been able to understand and appreciate his figural style and iconographic innovations, including references to Dante's Inferno and the ancient Greek Hellenistic sculpture, Apollo Belvedere.
The Last Judgment is among the most powerful renditions of this moment in the history of Christian art. It is not bound by a painted border and expands beyond the viewer's field of vision. The work includes over 300 muscular figures in an infinite variety of dynamic poses, reflecting the well-established traditional Western depiction of the Last Judgment but with a fresh and original approach.
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Frequently asked questions
It is a fresco, a painting done on plaster typically using water-based pigments.
It covers the whole altar wall of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City.
The painting depicts the Second Coming of Christ and the final and eternal judgment by God of all humanity. The dead rise and descend to their fates, judged by Christ who is surrounded by prominent saints.
Michelangelo completed the painting in the autumn of 1541, 25 years after finishing the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
Reactions to the painting were mixed. While some hailed it as the pinnacle of artistic accomplishment, others criticised it on religious and artistic grounds. The amount of nudity and the muscular style of the bodies were a particular source of contention.
