ipl-logo

The Sistine Chapel Analysis

728 Words3 Pages

“The Sistine Chapel” Artist make choices, and it is the job of the viewer to analyze those choices. The Sistine chapel’s ceiling was painted by Michel Angelo between 1508 and 1512. The ceiling of the Sistine chapel has several different paintings that form part of a larger scheme of decoration inside of the chapel. The mass majority of these painting refer to some very important biblical stories. For example, three of the painting are a representation of the first book of the bible Genesis, telling about the creation of the world. Michel Angelo uses a wide variety visual element within his work of art to help portray a clear representation of the bible through his creations. The visual elements that are the most prominent in Michel Angelo’s painting on the Sistine …show more content…

Space is an illusion of distance on a two-dimensional surface. In “the creation of Adam” the sky represents space. The sky in this painting seems to go on indefinitely. To create this false space, Angelo had to use a combination of size, and location. For example, the man who represents god in the painting appears to be closer in the field of view and Adam seems to be farther away. However, in all actuality the two men are at an equal distance to the viewer; god looks closer because he was drawn on a larger scale. Michael Angelo also used the location of the two men to help portray an open and large sky. For instance, the man who represents god was drawn slightly higher on the canvas than the man who represents Adam. Therefore, God looks closer than Adam giving the illusion that the sky is larger than it actually is. The arrangement of space also represents superiority. For example, God is the creator of all men, women, heaven, and earth, making him the most powerful and important man known. Therefore, if the painting is set up like a pyramid god in on top, being the most important, and Adam on the bottom being the least

Open Document