Expert: Frank Leeding - 4/26/2009

Question
Did Michelangelo use assistants in the actual painting of the figure of God on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Is this a painting or a fresco?

Answer
NOTE: this is a partial answer, i still need to track down sev dates, and such.

also, pls excuse the latenss of my reply and the (any) spelling errors (the spell checker isn't working on my computer)...

this-file:  frhl-expert-lodivicio-sistine-2009-05-05

Refs
====

         Michaelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling.

 Gardner, Helen (various). Art through the Ages.
       (1975; 6th edition (lovingly done) by
       Horst de La Croix and Richard G. Tansey)
       Harcourth, Brace and Jonaovich (original
       (c) by Helen Gardner in 1926, renewed by
       Loise Gardner.)

Stoakstad, Marilyn (2002). Art History, 2nd Edition, Volume 2.
 

The Short Answer
================

It is almost unthinkable that *any* master artist
wouldn't use his assistants to do at least some of
the work. And, yes the ceiling IS a fresco.

The Long Answer
===============

First off, Michaelangelo had had problems with his
patrons before. In one case, he simply quit one of
the jobs and had his assistants sell all of his
tools, scafolding, etc. to Jews - so upset with
the Catholics he was. And in reality he wanted
(pationately) to work on the tomb for Pope Julius
but was forced to work on the "ceiling project"
instead.

Part 1:  Stripping the Old fresco off
=====================================

Fra ??name?? had previously just painted a dark
blue night-sky-scape on the ceiling using Fresco.

Fresco is essentially wet plaster onto which is
painted the image. This mixture then hardens and
the paint merges with the top (wet) layer of the
plaster and creates an extremely durrable image.
The fresco (which derives from the Italian word
for "fresh") of (for example) Leonardo's
"The Last Supper" survived not only minor earth
quakes but the bombings of the church that it's
located in during war.

However, to paint the Sistine Chappel, the old
"painting" must be laboriously be chipped off
from the ceiling of the church. Also remember
that the fresco was created between the years
1508 and 1512; just 4 years while Michelangelo
was 33 to 37 years old.

Also realise that thet the ceiling measures
some 230 feet () by 130 feet () and is placed
on the ceiling of an *active* church that all
during its construction/painting is being used
for both daily prayers by the priests and nuns,
as well as prayer and other religious services
to the inhabitants/pilgrims to the church.
Michaelangelo had placed a large canvas below
the work area - which was at the top of a set
of scafolds some 65 feet () above the floor
-- which was in and of itself a beautiful
marble surface which it would simply have been
un-thinkable to have chips from the old ceiling
fresco flaked onto and dropped as well as bits
of wet plaster scrap being dripped off and all
of which falling the 60 feet or so to the floor
and probably at least cracking the joints between
marble tiles and possibly even breaking the
tiles themselves.

One thing to also remember is that a large amount
of any painting is "merely" background and for this
most likely fairly new apprentices were trusted to
paint these in their on-the-job learning. If we look
at other frescoes (notably the "restoration" of many
of the frescoes - eg, "The Death of St. Francis" by
Titian (ca. 1320, at bhe Bardi Chapel in Santa Croce
in Florencia), we see that a lot of the minor work was
the background, but in restorations, entirely new (and
probably considered major undertakings at the the time)
backgrounds to cover cracks and other (possibly amateurish)
restorations and "fixes" of the frescoe. Again, we note
the complexity of fresco in that the final, actual
look of the surface can only be known by extensive
experience with the medium as the image literally
floats up to the surface of the wet top layer of
the frescoe material itself.

Also, remember that Michelangelo had relatively little
work with fresco as a medium and that being done some
years before. Thus, as ??author?? points out, it was
almost certain that he had master plasterers (mixing
and applying the raw underlayers) and other assitants
(well above the apprentice level of skill) applying and
demonstrating how to apply the colours. Also, remember
that Michaelangelo had decided (or was guided by experts
in fresco, as well as the almost certainly numerously
present papal "experts" (some more expert than others)
in how to proceed. In this case, starting at the end
of the nave most distant from the crossing (where the
priest's pulpit would have been located) - thus, in
a sense "starting in a corner, off to the side" and
hence able to try to get the hang of fresco (especially
on such a vast scale) -- before starting on the most
important and thus central figures and scenes.

I make the point about the papal assistants (ie, the
Pope's own crew) since like civil servants (in this
case dedicated to the vatacan itself), they would have
had a personal and on-going interest in such a major
place of worship; ie, this would be the Cistine Chapel
as not only art object but sacred "property" of the
papacy itself. Almost certainly, some of them would
have been formally trained in art; possibly even in
fresco as medium itself.

Recall that the chapel was built from 1475 to 1481
and named after Pope Sextus IV (hence Italian "Sistus"
and thence "Sistine") and that the walls were created
(by ??names??) with the night-sky fresco ceiling (by ??name??).
Thus, Michelangelo and company arrives at one of the
most important and well known places of worship in
the vatican. And recall (as Helen Gardner reminds us)
that following the death of Pope Julius II who was
the patron saint of the Cistine Chapel, Michelangelo
was pressed into service to by the Medici popes
Leo X and Clement VII to create a new chapel (the
New Saristry in San Lorenzo in Flourence). Here
Michelangelo's genius lay in his ability to see thru
the already existing structures by Brunelleschi
and the earlier architectural and sculptural additions
by Donatello and create a greater synthesis of the
styles with his own (unfortunately never completed)
works on the chapel. Thus, in a way, Michelangelo's
own genius doomed him to be forced to work and create
the Cistine chappel's ceiling (and later the pulpit
end pannel) that we know to day.

And of course, he could never (or perhaps only by
devoting much, much more than "merely" four years)
completed the work without the aid of his handful
of assistants, numerous apprentices in painting,
scafold construction, and of course master, assistant
and apprentice artists skilled in the medium of fresco.

How's that for fresh?

hope this helps,
appologising greatly for the lateness of my reply,
Brother Francis Fortrenius,
aka "Frankklin Ace" - decimal point decorator.

--30--

Step 2: "Painting" a fresco.
===========================

(maybe more on that if you so wish at a later time)

Briefly:  Apply 1" (2cm) thick undercoating of pure,
and farily smooth plaster, then mix and apply the
top (wet) coat of finely made plaster and paint - ie, the
fresco painting itself. As part of the chemistry
and physical drying of the plaster, the image/pigment
"floats" to the top part of the plaster and dries
almost entirely permanently into place - a hard,
durable and thoroughly brilliant (light-wise) art
work.

-- Frank