The Last Judgment (1537–1541A.D.) is a fresco by Michelangelo (b. 1475 A.D., d. 1564 A.D.) on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. It was commissioned by Pope Clement VII shortly before his death. Michelangelo began working on it three decades after having finished the Sistine Chapel ceiling. The Last Judgment is widely believed to be Michelangelo's crowning achievement in painting and is the largest single fresco of the 16th century.
What does Michelangelo's fresco depict? The fresco depicts the second coming of Jesus Christ (standing in the top middle of fresco with his mother Mary next to him) and God's final judgment of humanity. It is based on the Roman Catholic belief that God will judge the soul of every human, in a single resurrection, to determine their eternal fate. In the left half of the fresco are those deemed worthy to ascend into heaven. In the fresco's right half are those unworthy of salvation. Jesus is shown casting the damned toward Hell and Charon (near bottom middle, standing in a boat with a raised oar), who is the mythological ferryman of Hell. Charon's job is to transport the condemned to Minos (very bottom right of fresco with snake wrapped around him), the mythical judge of the underworld, who then directs the spiritually dead to Hell's deeper regions. Evidence suggests that Michelangelo's self-portrait appears twice in his fresco: The first as the face of the flayed skin which Saint Bartholomew is carrying in his left-hand (near the very middle of the picture), and second as someone who is looking encouragingly at those rising from their graves (bottom lower left). Was Michelangelo's work controversial from the start? | | | | Michelangelo's artistic masterpiece was not without controversy. His original fresco contained many completely naked characters (e.g. their genitals showing), including Christ and his mother Mary. A Roman Catholic Cardinal named Carafa saw the fresco and accused the artist of immorality and obscenity. The Cardinal soon enlisted the aid of a Monsignor Sernini to begin a campaign (known as the "Fig Leaf Campaign") to have the work removed or censored. Eventually, the Pope's own Master of Ceremonies named Biagio da Cesena joined in condemning the fresco for it nudity. Cesena went so far as to state that the fresco was better suited for a tavern or public bath than a church chapel! Michelangelo, not doubt angered by Cesena's criticisms, used his face for Minos, the god of the underworld! Donkey ears were also added to Mino's image (e.g. to represent foolishness). When Cesena complained to the Pope about what Michelangelo had done, the Pontiff apparently joked that since his jurisdiction did not extend to hell, the portrait would have to remain. Michelangelo died in 1564 A.D. After his death the Council of Trent, who had condemned nudity in religious art, commissioned an artist to cover up the genitalia in The Last Judgment. It wasn't until 1993 A.D., when The Last Judgment fresco was being restored, that half of the censorship placed over Michelangelo's characters was removed. | |  Minos, god of the underworld,
with the face of Biagio da Cesena. |
What UNEXPECTED discovery was made during restoration? A surprising find was made during 1993's restoration of The Last Judgment. It was discovered that Michelangelo originally painted Minos with a snake wrapped around himself and his genitals covered by the snake's head BITING him in the groin! Does The Last Judgment reflect what they Bible ACTUALLY teaches? The Last Judgment, although rightfully considered one of the world's greatest works of art, reflects several INCORRECT Biblical teachings. Some of the major ERRORS in Biblical understanding conveyed or strongly implied in the fresco include: Humans have SOULS which are IMMORTAL. ALL mankind will be judged in a SINGLE resurrection from the dead. The ONLY chance to be saved is during a physical life lived before Jesus' return. Jesus' mother Mary has been given a position and reward ABOVE all other humans. There will be MANY, if not more, people who DO NOT receive salvation than those who do. - The reward of the righteous will be to live forever in HEAVEN.
The punishment of the unrighteous is to live forever in a place of torture and suffering.
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Sources: Wikipedia |
