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Sistine Chapel Secrets: Was Michelangelo Reluctant to Paint the Divine?
- Sutithi
- Jun 25
- 6 min read
Updated: Aug 7
“I am not in the right place — I am not a painter.”
—Michelangelo
We have seen two nearly approaching hands on fridge magnets or T-Shirts, artsy bags and folders quite often; they remind us of a divine connection of God vs human! Yes, we are talking about the Creation of Adam, the immortal fresco created by Michelangelo, the great Italian Renaissance idol!
In this blog, we’ll take a dive into the untold stories and some hidden facts of Michelangelo paintings of the Sistine Chapel ceiling and the magnificent frescos like the Creation of Adam, one of the most celebrated works in the world.
We’ll probe into some curious facts about how such prolific creations happened in the elaborate domes of the Sistine Chapel Rome while the artist insisted that he was not a painter? How did the reluctant painter end up with such iconic pieces to stun the art world?
To know, stick around till the end.
Some of the remarkable things about the Sistine Chapel you must know –
The papal chapel of Sistine was built around 1481 by an architect called Giovanni, which became immensely famous for Michelangelo’s immortal frescos in the period of Renaissance.
The Chapel looks like a regular red brick & mortar building from outside, but while one takes a Sistine Chapel tour inside and looks really high up in the ceilings, which is much higher than one can crane their necks for long, the awe unfolds. The interior is something that will always be etched in memories.
There are 33 panels of frescos in the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, as the epitome of divine creations, mostly depicting tales from the Book of Genesis. Nothing can match those 343 masterfully done creations by Michelangelo in the divine chapel housed within the Vatican City. They remain a center of awe and admiration till date.
Not only the legendary polymath Michelangelo, there were a handful of other remarkable artists who created the frescos of the ceilings of the Chapel, like Botticelli, Perugino, Benedetto Ghirlandaio, and Raphael, over the years. They were mostly ceremonial paintings of Popes, Gospels and Apostles.
The most striking part of the Chapel is the ornate ceiling and the west wall of the altar, which was extensively painted by none other than Michelangelo Buonarroti around 1508-1512, commissioned by Pope Julius II.
There are stories of Michelangelo’s reluctance to paint the Chapel ceiling as he had always preferred to be a sculptor, and complained about his physical strain to continue with the painting task!
He had even written a sonnet (poem) saying that ‘I am not in the right place – I am not a painter!’ The letter to his friend was addressed as ‘When the author was painting the vault of the Sistine Chapel.’ Yes, Michelangelo was a gifted poet besides a painter & a sculptor!
There is a myth of his painting the unattainable ceiling of the Chapel, crouching and lying on his back for days, wiping sweat and dust. The truth is that he designed his own scaffold to stand and paint the ceiling walls. By doing this, he meant not to disturb the Chapel services!
Michelangelo used the Golden ratio while painting the legendary ‘Creation of Adam’ in the central panel to create harmony and balance. We’ll talk about the golden ratio in this blog later on.
There was a shift in painting style, as Michelangelo took a break in the year 1510, and continued with a different style than he attempted before.
Some art critics believe that there are some hidden self-portraits of Michelangelo in some of the frescos like the Last Judgement. He tried to portray himself in the image of God himself!
Michelangelo returned to the Chapel after twenty years (1532) to complete his last fresco on the altar wall of the Last Judgement.
What did the ceiling look like before Michelangelo took to painting them?
The ceiling looked like a broad blue space dotted with stars which Pope Julius II wished to replace with ornate geometric designs. He wanted to place the 12 Apostles around the composition. But Michelangelo wanted to do it differently. He suggested painting the images from Genesis, The Old Testament to adorn the vault. And, his idea proved to be a genius.
What made the Sistine Chapel a creation of divine proportion?
As Michelangelo was quite a pro in human anatomy and figure study, he used some of his extensive anatomy skills in the complex human figures of the Chapel. The complex design includes intricately done human figurative, as clothed humans and some nude, shown in different poses. The ceiling has inspired innumerable artists, till date.
What was the shift in style that made phenomenal changes in Michelangelo paintings done after 1510?
He focused on creating more significant figures in elaborate style rather than investing time in creating more insignificant minute details. That’s why, it becomes easier for a viewer to perceive the stories in more accurate angles from the floor itself.
What were the themes behind the frescos?
In the center of the ceiling, the frescos are divided in three parts, while the first set of paintings tell the the Story of Creation of Heaven and Earth, followed by the next set - the Creation of Adam and Eve, Expulsion from the Garden of Eden and then the third set of the Story of Noah and the deluge.
Surrounding these central themes, there are depictions of sibyls, nudes, prophets, and ancient seers. Together they make a glorious amalgamation.
The Most Famous Panel of the ‘Creation of Adam’
The Creation of Adam is unmistakably the most dramatic portrayal of human vs divine, the approaching hands showing man’s constant striving for superior and higher consciousness. Some historians see a ‘brain’ behind the cluster of angels and nymphs surrounding the image of the Holy Father or the God himself.
What is the Golden Ratio in paintings?
The golden ratio is about two unequal lines, whereas the ratio of the broader line and the shorter line is equal to the ratio of the summation of the line lengths and the longer length.
How did Michelangelo apply the theory of the Golden Ratio in his fresco?
In The Creation of Adam, Michelangelo used the golden ratio to create balance and symmetry. Adam representing men appears in the lesser domain with God is shown in the greater realm. That shows the most preferred angle in Catholic drawings where the lesser and the higher domain meet to create a golden ratio, showing man’s perfect harmony with God.
Michelangelo hated to paint the Chapel ceilings initially: How did the magic happen!
Now, it was not a massive work for a hard-working creator of his stature! Lorenzo de Medici, one of the Renaissance patrons, was greatly impressed by some of the monumental sculptures of Michelangelo. The sculptor took all the pain to carve something phenomenal like the statue of David or the ‘Pieta’ at an early age. Then, what was stopping him from painting the ceiling walls?
Art historians consider it as ‘imposter syndrome!’
It is almost like a situation when we have a hard time at some projects we know we are quite capable of doing, but don’t have the heart to do.
“I’ve already grown a goiter from this torture, hunched up here like a cat in Lombardy (or anywhere else where the stagnant water’s poison).
My stomach’s squashed under my chin, my beard’s pointing at heaven, my brain’s crushed in a casket, my breast twists like a harpy’s.
My painting is dead.
Defend it for me, Giovanni, protect my honor.
I am not in the right place—I am not a painter.”
- When the Author Was Painting the Vault of the Sistine Chapel
It’s quite remarkable to see how a reluctant painter can leave a legacy to last for more than 500 years! Yes, his paintings are no way dead, they’ve turned into legends!
