“The second of five brothers, Michelangelo was born on March 6, 1475, at Caprese, in Tuscany, to Ludovico di Leonardo di Buonarotto Simoni and Francesca Neri. Buonarroti's mother died young, when the child was only six years old” (Internet). This tragedy so early in his life, along with other elements, must have affected the way he painted the Last Judgment. “Even before then, Michelangelo's childhood had been grim and lacking in affection, and he was always to retain a taciturn d

isposition. Touchy and quick to respond with fierce words, he tended to keep to himself, out of shyness according to some but also, according to others, a lack of trust in his fellows”(Internet). These emotions shown by Michelangelo when he was young might help explain why the Last Judgment was so dark and full of death.

“After months of negotiations and delays designed to forestall the project, Michelangelo began preparing his sketches for the giant fresco. Acting in accordance with the pontiff’s wish, his design depicted the second coming of Christ, who returns to earth to fulfill the biblical prophesy of the Last Judgment. The painting would cover a vast area measuring 43 X 47 feet and would portray more than 350 figures” (Pettit, 97). He would spend an entire year reconstructing the altar wall and reinforcing the plaster surface. Other frescos, done by Perugino and Michelangelo himself, were destroyed during the reconstruction (Pettit, 98). “Finally, in 1535 or 1536, 61-year-old Michelangelo mounted the seven levels of his scaffold to begin

Some topics in this essay:
Giorgio Vasari, Pope Julius’, Neri Buonarroti's, Bartz Konig, , Perugino Michelangelo, Clement VII, Michelangelo’s Judgment, Florence Italy, Pope Clement, konig 100, bartz konig, bartz konig 100, pope clement, pettit 98,