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January, 2015

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2
The Sistine Chapel

The Sistine Chapel is a huge and one of the most renowned chapels which
is situated in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican City, the official residence of the pope. It
was originally named as Cappella Magna which was restored by pope Sixtus IV between
1477 and 1480. Under the reign of Sixtus IV, a team of painters including Sandro
Botticelli, Pinturicchio, Cosimo Roselli, Pietro Perugino and Domenico Ghirlandaio gave
the chapel it's first decoration. The frescoes depicted the stories of the Christ and Moses
and portraits of the popes on the walls. The paintings completed in 1482 and on 15
August 1483, Sixtus IV consecrated the chapel, dedicating it to the Virgin Mary (John
Monfasani 1983). Later in 1508, Pope Julius II entrusted the work of renovation of the
ceiling of the chapel to Michelangelo Buonarroti which earlier showed sky with stars,
who by October 1512 completed the painting on ceiling under Pope Julius II (GrahamDixon 2008) and between 1535 and 1541, painted 'The Last Judgement Day' under Pope
Paul III (Stollhans Cynthia 1988). The two works of Michelangelo are masterpieces of art
and added fame to the chapel.
The artistic creativity of the Sistine chapel depicts a typical combination of realities
and imagination of those great painters.
Various elements of the art in the chapel tell different stories. They are far more
than just paintings. Julius II's decision to renovate the ceiling must be driven due to the
damage caused to the earlier paintings due to a long crack in it due to the excavation
going on both south and north of the chapel. So, Michelangelo painted a series of
paintings which depict the doctrine of the need of salvation by the humanity, offered by

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the God through Jesus. There are nine central paintings which illustrate the episodes of
the Genesis, with figures of nudes holding medallions with text from the book of the
kings, at their sides. Twelve prophets and Sibyls seated on monumental thrones are
located at the base of the architectural structure. Lower down, Christ's forefathers which
are portrayed in the eight Webs and in the Lunettes, counter the Prophets and Sibyls. And
in the four corner Pendentives, are illustrated a few episodes of magical salvation of the
people of Israel (E G Dotson 1979). The paintings on the North wall Lunettes showing
the forefathers of the Christ, Pontiffs, drapes and the stories of the Christ which date back
to 1481- 1482 and include Baptism of Christ by Pietro Perugino, Vocation of the Apostles
by Domenico Ghirlandaio, Temptation of Christ by Sandro Botticelli, The Delivery of the
Keys by Pietro Perugino, The Sermon on the Mount, attributed to Cosimo Rosselli and
The Last Supper by Cosimo Rosselli. The Last supper shows three episodes of passion
namely, the Agony in the garden, the Arrest of Jesus and the Crucifixion. Similarly, the
south wall also has Lunettes, Pontiffs, Drapes and the stories of Moses including Moses
Leaving to Egypt by Pietro Perugino and assistants,The Trials of Moses by Sandro
Botticelli and his workshop, the Crossing of the Red Sea by Cosimo Rosselli, Domenico
Ghirlandaio, Descent from Mount Sinai by Cosimo Rosselli or Piero di Cosimo,
Punishment of the Rebels by Sandro Botticelli, Testament and Death of Moses by Luca
Signorelli or Bartolomeo della Gatta. The frescoes on the entrance wall shows final
episodes of Jesus and moses, the resurrection of Jesus and the Discussion over the body
of Moses (Graham-Dixon 2008). And the final masterpiece, The Last Judgement, painted
between two important events in history, the Sack of Rome executed by mercenary forces
of the Holy Roman Empire in the year 1527 and following it, the Council of Trent

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commencing in 1545, shows the second coming of the Christ on the Day of Judgement,
encircled by naked figures which became the cause of disputes between Cardinal Carafa
and Michelangelo (Vasari 1987).
According to specialist Elena Lazzarini, Michelangelo's painting on one of the
panels is inspired by various Italian Brothels. Renowned Italian painter Giorgio Vasari
says that the work of Micheangelo has been and truly is a beacon of our art."
The first experience I got in the chapel was quite astonishing. Apart from the
splendid art work, a deep and calm music,'Missa Papae Marcelli', always sung in papal
coronation mass, really touches the heart. The mass was written by Giovanni Pierluigi da
Palestrina and is often taught in university courses. Just one step inside the chapel and
one look at the immense beauty is enough to mesmerize anyone. And at the same time it
feels really important to learn art to understand the depths of imaginations of the artists
who decorate the walls of such monuments with their thoughts and stories.
Sistine Chapel is a place for both religious and functionary papal activities and
has got such a splendid beauty in the form of frescoes which depict a lot. It holds within
it, a landmark in the world of drawings and paintings which shows what a man is capable
to achieve.

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5
References-

1. Artibus et Historiae retrieved from http://artibusethistoriae.org/

2. Chambers, D. S. (1978), "Papal Conclaves and Prophetic Mystery in the Sistine
Chapel", Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes (The Warburg Institute).
3. Seymour, Charles (1972), Michelangelo, the Sistine Chapel Ceiling: illustrations,
introductory essays, backgrounds and sources, critical essay, New York: W. W.
Norton.

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For this Assignment, you will complete either Option A (an analysis of
Renaissance music) or Option B (an analysis of the Sistine Chapel). You will
share your experiences with two pieces of music or with the Sistine Chapel
beginning from your first impressions, then after research and analysis. The
Assignment should help you to see how reactions to art can be valuable from the
start, and can change and evolve with more information, deeper consideration,
and application of concepts that are learned.
Select either Option A or Option B, but either choice will require completion of
Parts I, II, and III. If you select option A, you must select two pieces of work from
Renaissance composers in this weeks reading, such as Madalena Casulana,
Adrian Willaert, or Heinrich Isaac. The work can be found online and in the
MyArtsLab.
Option A: Renaissance Music
Part I A: Introduce the two pieces of Renaissance music you have selected and
the composers. Then listen to the works. As you experience the music on this
first occasion, take note of your impressions. You should write at least one page
about your first reactions to the music, how you relate this work to music you
have heard before, and what emotions and memories come to mind as you
listen.
Part II A: Do research on the two pieces of music and/or the composers. Using
two credible sources, report for at least 1 page on the hypothesis or elements of
music that are featured in your research. What do some experts say about the
Renaissance musics purpose, and the impressions it might leave on a listener?
Part III A: Finally, youll bring together your first impressions with the research
and listen to the music again. What changes when you add more information to
your analysis of the music? Which reactions remain with you from your first
experience, and why do you think they are important? Talk about the experience
of studying music beyond first impressions.
Option B: Sistine Chapel
Part I B: Take a virtual tour of the Sistine Chapel through the Vatican website.
You can view the whole room, toggle up and down to study the ceiling and walls,
and you can also zoom in to take a closer look at the work. As you experience
the Chapel on this visit, take note of your impressions. You should write at least 1
page about your first reactions to the art, how you relate this work to art you have
seen before, and what you emotions and memories come to mind as you view
the Chapel.
Part II B: Do research on the Sistine Chapel. Using two credible sources, report
for at least one page on the hypothesis or elements of art that are featured in
your research. What do some experts say about the Sistine Chapel, its purpose,
and the impressions it might leave on a viewer?
Part III C: Finally, youll bring together your first impressions with the research
and visit the Chapel again. What changes when you add more information to
your analysis of the Sistine Chapel as a work of art? Which reactions remain with

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you from your first experience, and why do you think they are important? Talk
about the experience of studying art beyond first impressions.
For either option A or B, the paper should be at least 4 pages and cite at least
two credible sources. Write with substance about the experiences. Be specific.
Analyze both the music or art and your encounter with it.
The Assignment should be at least 750 words. You may follow the Assignment
template in Doc Sharing. Follow the formatting guidelines put forth in the APA
style of writing, and structure your thoughts in essay format introductory
paragraph and thesis statement, supporting paragraphs, and a conclusion.
Submit the project to the Dropbox when it is complete.
Unit 5 Turnitin Analysis
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ID: HU250-05-09-A