Lecture: Michelangelo's Campaigns in the Sistine Chapel - Creation as Artist

 The Renaissance artist Michelangelo undertook three campaigns of painting in the Sistine Chapel, two separate times on the ceiling and one, much later, on the Last Judgement scene. The frecoes were at once dramatic assertions of papacy as the central Chjristian authority in the world. At the same time, they were empathetic statements of the individuality and creativity of the artist. The Sistine Chapel frescoes occupy a central position in the history of Western art, not only because of their message but because their style and organization represent a transformation of the artist from craftsman to genius. This lecture deals with various aspects of the chapel, its history, and the history and meanings of its decorations.