But let\u2019s go step by step. First, Michelangelo frescoed <\/span>entirely alone<\/b> the <\/span>Last Judgement<\/span><\/i> in just five years. Commissioned by Pope Clement VII, the artist began the work in 1536 and finished it already in 1541, when it was discovered to the public under the pontificate of Paul III Farnese. At that time, the Protestant Reformation had already begun. Therefore, the <\/span>Church<\/b> had found itself terribly <\/span>attacked<\/b> both in the ethical sphere (for the rampant corruption, simony) and in the doctrinal-theological one. In fact, a more adherent interpretation of the Holy Scriptures and a return to early Christianity were required.<\/span><\/p>\n The <\/span>Last Judgment<\/span><\/i>, taken from the book of the <\/span>Apocalypse of John<\/span><\/i>, was an iconography\u00a0 typical of medieval culture, but not very widespread in the renaissance. The scene represents the moment of <\/span>the end of time<\/b>, in which “Christ is called to judge the living and the dead”.<\/span><\/p>\n Michelangelo\u2019s iconographic, formal and ethical renewal of such an ancient theme aroused not only an infinity of reactions at the time (strong criticism from the Church; admiration or amazement), but even revolutionized the “manner” of painting for the following generations.<\/span><\/p>\n Michelangelo conceived the <\/span>Last Judgement <\/span><\/i>through a <\/span>turbine structure<\/b>, at the center of which at the top is depicted <\/span>Christ the Judge<\/span><\/i>, caught in the act of pronouncing the <\/span>final verdict<\/b> and next to the Virgin, while the other figures surround them. The <\/span>reaction <\/b>of humanity is <\/span>shocking<\/b> and <\/span>dramatic<\/b>: everywhere we see cries of pain and desperate expressions. However, not only the damned, but also the Virgin Mary and the holy martyrs are terrified of the <\/span>future Revelation.<\/b><\/p>\n Among the numerous martyrs, <\/span>Saint Bartholomew<\/span><\/i> is the one who perhaps more than the others deserves attention. We thus discover the first of the many <\/span>secret codes<\/b> that the artist wanted to conceal in <\/span>the largest and most revolutionary fresco ever made<\/b> by a single painter<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Under the figure of <\/span>Christ<\/span><\/i> is depicted <\/span>Saint Bartholomew<\/span><\/i>, caught in the act of holding his skin and the knife with which he was skinned alive, according to tradition. The saint\u2019s skin shows the face of an old man, with features deformed by suffering. That face is nothing more than <\/span>Michelangelo\u2019s<\/b> self-portrait<\/b>, an expression of the malaise of his soul and his concern for his own destiny.<\/span><\/p>\n So the artist wanted to insert his own “signature” in his masterpiece, a rare aspect at that time, because it was often forbidden by the Pope.<\/span><\/p>\n In the upper-right side of the fresco, under the column of the lunette, are depicted <\/span>tiny naked figures<\/b> of men and women intent in very affectionate attitudes, as well as a young man caught in the act of kissing the beard of an old man. How could we feel today seeing such “<\/span>pagan” images<\/b> painted <\/span>in the most sacred place in the Christian world?<\/b><\/p>\n Certainly what can be said is that in the history of the Church of sixteenth-century Rome, this fact would have been a <\/span>great scandal<\/b> if it had been clearly discovered! Michelangelo hid it very well and he was a genius in this too, it must be admitted.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Michelangelo\u2019s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel have always been the object of an infinite admiration by tourists from all over…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":3504,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[412,413,414],"destinations":[252],"class_list":["post-4344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-cappella-sistina-en","tag-michelangelo-en","tag-vaticano-en","destinations-rome"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"San](\"https:\/\/www.italyproguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/2-San-Bartolomeo-dettaglio.jpg\")
<\/p>\nBut the surprises do not end here! I reveal another curiosity often not noticed by tourists.<\/b><\/h3>\n
![\"Cappella](\"https:\/\/www.italyproguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/3-baci-e-atteggiamenti-affettuosi-dettaglio.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWish to be guided on this tour? Come with me to discover the other secrets of the Sistine Chapel and the revolutionary personality of Michelangelo, the Genius of all time!<\/b><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"