Michelangelo’s Last Judgment: Sistine Chapel Altar Wall Fresco
Michelangelo’s Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel
Commission and Creation
In 1535, twenty years after Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, Pope Paul III (of the Farnese family) commissioned him to decorate the altar wall of the chapel. This work marked a significant evolution in the painting style of this brilliant artist, taking five years to complete.
Composition and Structure
Unlike the ceiling, the *Last Judgment* doesn’t use the same devices for spatial division as the vault. Instead, the composition features four distinct horizontal bands below the upper lunettes. The scenes are not separated by painted architectural elements; rather, Michelangelo’s interpretation of the *Last Judgment* is presented as a single, indivisible scene.
The Celestial Realm (Upper Section)
The upper half depicts the celestial realm. Its central figure is a powerful Christ, depicted almost heliocentrically, rotating on his axis in a helical line (known in Mannerism as the linea serpentinata). His mother, Mary, sits beside him, seemingly recoiling. Christ acts as the judge, presented entirely nude with one arm raised. He is surrounded by gigantic figures who appear awestruck or terrified, including Mary. Reflecting divine perfection and Neoplatonic ideals, Michelangelo chose the nude human form to represent absolute purity. Later, the Roman Curia commissioned Daniele da Volterra to cover the nudity (earning him the nickname ‘Il Braghetone‘, the breeches-maker). Around Christ, forming an inner circle, are saints, patriarchs, and prophets. Below them are confessors, martyrs, and virgins. At the Savior’s feet, two martyrs hold prominent positions: San Lorenzo (St. Lawrence) and San Bartolome (St. Bartholomew). San Bartolome is shown holding his flayed skin, the face of which is believed to be a self-portrait of Michelangelo. The Sistine Chapel was originally dedicated to the Assumption and also contained relics related to these saints. In the two lunettes at the very top, groups of angels carry the instruments of the Passion.
The Damned and the Saved (Lower Section)
The lower half depicts souls ascending to heaven on the left and the damned being dragged to hell on the right. In the center, angels sound trumpets to awaken the dead from their graves. The lower left symbolizes the ‘Resurrection of the Dead’. On the right, the damned are ferried by Charon across the river Styx to face the infernal judge Minos, blending Christian themes with classical mythology. A central cave, possibly representing the mouth of Hell or Limbo, might allude to Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, reflecting Michelangelo’s Neoplatonic leanings.
Artistic Style and Mannerist Influence
The work conveys a powerful upward momentum for the chosen ascending to Glory and a dramatic downward plunge for the damned descending into the abyss, achieved through masterful foreshortening. The figures are depicted on a monumental scale, including Christ (the Pantocrator), John the Baptist, St. Peter, St. Paul, and St. Bartholomew. Overall, the work was revolutionary (or ‘anti-classical’) for its daring foreshortening and the swirling vortex of bodies. It creates less of a deep, three-dimensional space and more of a dense tapestry against the cold blue background, which makes the figures recede. These elements – the bold foreshortening, the coiled serpentinata motion, the distorted proportions (deformation of the canon), the crowded composition, and the metallic color palette – became key features of Mannerism, influencing painters in the latter half of the 16th century.