Nudity is Key

Anxious today for class to start, I made sure to wake up early in case it started at 9, which it didn’t. Before 1, I felt that I couldn’t wait long enough. One thing I wondered constantly was if today’s art history class will be like my art history class at school. It was not! This information packed art history class was… Mind Blowing! We learned about the 3 main art topics in Rome today: Architecture, Sculpture, and 2D artwork.  Within this 2 hour lecture, the thing that I was most interested in was Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel. Of course you all know and have heard many things about this artist and his magnificent art work on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, but I’m here to add on! Out of all the 400 figures on that ancient ceiling, the Last Judgment is the most powerful and hypnotizing! He dominated the Renaissance during his time, even Raphael, his Rival couldn’t compete. One thing, however, that is surprising is that they were comrades in a big cartoon hit, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! By the way if you are not familiar, his color is orange and Raphael is red. Also to take note that when Raphael was determined to be the artist for the Chapel, its Pope, Pope Sixtus asked Michelangelo to paint it even if he was a sculpture and not painter. Named after Pope Sixtus, the Sistine Chapel took Michelangelo 4 years and 5 months to finish. When it was open to the public, they were shocked! Astonished! Who in their right mind would paint naked people on the ceiling of a blessed church? It was indecent, improper. This is what leads to the “Fig-Leaf” campaign. Yes, Fig-Leaves to cover up the bottom portion of all the people in the painting. When I learned about this I was like, GASP! Why?! This campaign was brought on by one of his very own pupil, which was unacceptable in my opinion. Eventually the leaves were taken off, and the original artwork was restored to its former glory, but it was never the same again. Nudity in general may not be for everyone, but for Michelangelo it was the key to his artwork and he has become a legend ever since.  His spectacular specimen of art work has generated many other forms of art, even though his art may not be based on realism, but it is still artwork that should last a lifetime. – Susan Vang