Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Land from Water
; the
Creation of the Sun, Moon and Planets
; and
God Separating Light
from Darkness
, featuring a fearsome God reaching out to touch the sun.
Set around the central panels are 20 athletic male nudes, known as
ignudi
.
Opposite, on the west wall is Michelangelo's mesmeric
Giudizio Universale
, showing
Christ - in the centre near the top - passing sentence over the souls of the dead as they are
torn from their graves to face him. The saved get to stay up in heaven (in the upper right),
the damned are sent down to face the demons in hell (in the bottom right).
Near the bottom, on the right, you'll see a man with donkey ears and a snake wrapped
around him. This is Biagio de Cesena, the papal master of ceremonies, who was a fierce
critic of Michelengelo's composition. Another famous figure is St Bartholomew, just be-
neath Christ, holding his own flayed skin. The face in the skin is said to be a self-portrait
of Michelangelo, its anguished look reflecting the artist's tormented faith.
The chapel's
walls
also boast superb frescoes. Painted between 1481 and 1482 by a
crack team of Renaissance artists, including Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Pinturicchio, Peru-
gino and Luca Signorelli, they represent events in the lives of Moses (to the left looking at
the
Giudizio Universale
) and Christ (to the right). Highlights include Botticelli's
Tempta-
tions of Christ
and Perugino's
Christ Giving the Keys to St Peter
.
