Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel

About this book

You cannot stand underneath the masterwork that is the Sistine Chapel without considering the genius and painstaking work that went into its creation. Michelangelo Buonarroti never wanted to paint the Sistine Chapel though. Appointed by the temperamental Julius II Michelangelo believed the suspiciously large-scale project to be a plot for failure conspired by his rivals and the "Warrior Pope." After all Michelangelo was not a painterhe was a sculptor. The noble artist reluctantly took on the daunting task that would damage his neck back and eyes (if you have ever strained to admire the real thing you know). Andrew Graham-Dixon tells the story behind the famous painted ceiling over which the great artist painfully toiled for four long years. Linking Michelangelos personal life to his work on the Sistine Chapel Graham-Dixon describes Michelangelos unique depiction of the Book of Genesis tackles ambiguities in the work and details the painstaking work that went into Michelangelos magnificent creation. Complete with rich full-color illustrations and Graham-Dixons articulate narrative Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel is an indispensable and significant piece of art criticism. It humanizes this heavenly masterpiece in a way that every art enthusiast student and professional can understand and appreciate.