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Sunday, December 17, 2023

Sistine Chapel - The Last Judgement


This is a copy of Michelangelo's Last Judgement fresco from the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.  It was made by Marcello Venusti in 1549 for Cardinal Farnesi and met with Michelangelo's approval.  I am showing it here because it is the only way we can see the Last Judgement as the original artist intended, i.e., with lots of male nudity.  Attempts at censoring this work began during Michelangelo's lifetime and were carried out via outright vandalism after his death.  Later restorations done with a mind to remove the covers discovererd that the man hired to do them, Daniele da Volterra, had gouged away the plaster, leaving nothing to be revealed in many areas.  Below, the covered up version still on display.




 

4 comments:

  1. "Classical" peters in the first picture, n'est-ce pas?

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  2. This is my favorite work of Michelangelo. I would love to see in person one day and also the copy Marcelo Venusti had made.

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    1. Having been to see it this September, I recommend going in the dead of winter. The crowds were awful, and it was hard to see with all the jostling and shoving along. The sculpture exhibits in the Vatican Museum were uncrowded and magnificent, however, and I will be doing a sereis on them soon using my own photos.

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