Sistine Ceiling: Painting Analysis

The major difference between the Maestà and the Sistine Ceiling are the surfaces in which each painting was painted on. For example, the Maestà resides upon a flat, two-sided wall which allows for public viewing of one side while utilizing the opposite side for special occasions. This wall also serves as an altarpiece in the Cathedral of Siena, employing the flat surface to effectively divide the wall into an easily comprehensible story. Yet, with the Sistine Ceiling, painted upon the curved ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, this is not the case as not only does it require people to look up to view, it also isn’t sectioned as clearly as the Maestà. However, it uses the ceiling to its advantage, making the painting more grandiose, as if one was …show more content…
Rather than having a main person as the focal point, the focus here is the book of Genesis with pictures depicting the Creation, the story of Adam and Eve, and the Story of Noah. Other significant figures surrounding the main “storyline” pictures include various prophets of the bible, sibyls who prophesied the birth of Christ from various different cultures and eras, four stories from the bible that relate to the salvation of Israel (e.g. David and the Goliath), the ancestors of Christ, and the Ignudi. Smaller details exist, such as the medallions near the Ignudi representing violet scenes from the Bible, or the various oak related items representing Pope Julius II, however these aren’t as significant to the message as those listed earlier. The main thing to note from all of this is that these scenes depict these fantastical, grandiose events in the past that seem practically unreal to those not of the faith. Unlike the message of Mary’s humanity, the Sistine Chapel is trying to convey the amazing power of God and various bible stories in the most impressive way possible. Not only does the precise color choice and intricate attention to detail and the human form aid in accomplishing this, but also the curved ceiling and its position in the chapel. Because of the nature of a ceiling, one is forced to look up towards it to view the Sistine Chapel’s Ceiling, as if one were to look at the sky, looking towards the heavens. To further support the sky metaphor, the painting was placed above a series of ornate windows, not only adding to this feeling of magnificence, but also simulating rays of sunlight coming from above beaming down upon the