By Joynel Fernandes –
Michelangelo is indeed hailed as one of the greatest, if not ‘the greatest’ artist of all times. A fantastic sculptor, painter, architect and poet, he was an absolute contender for the title of the ‘Renaissance Man’. Thanks to his extraordinary works of art, he is regarded as ‘Il Divino’ or ‘The Divine’.
Under a fateful and fortunate star in 1474 Michelangelo was born in Caprese near Arezzo, Tuscany. Post his mother’s death in 1481 he was raised by a nanny who happened to be the wife of a stone cutter. Giorgio Vasari in his famous ‘Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors and Architects’ quoted Michelangelo saying, ‘Along with the milk of my nurse I received the knack of handling chisel and hammer with which I made my figures’. These figures freed from stone perched onto his paintings narrating a unique and exquisite story for the ages to come.
One such magnanimous story is that of ‘The Last Judgement’.
As thousands of people trek to the Sistine Chapel, they are greeted by a yawning archway of a complex commotion of figures. Unlike the ceiling that unravels the salvation story of over a thousand years, The Last Judgement captures a moment. It is the moment of swirling drama, of clouds caught in the act of storm. It is a fresco teeming with an awe-inspiring ‘terribilita’.
Terribilita! Ah yes! That’s the term employed to describe Michelangelo’s personality! A Romantic hero brooded by guilt and insecurity, grumpy, smelly, fretful, fearful and raging; above all, an eccentric! He took pleasure in being one. Michelangelo was quoted saying, ‘I have always lived as a poor man, eating sparingly, drinking nothing and sleeping little. I devoted myself to the beautiful ideas that spring from the Divine Spirit.’ It was certainly the same Spirit that worked wonders in the painting of The Last Judgement.
It is essential to study The Last Judgement as a product of time. When Pope Paul III commissioned the painting in 1534, the Church was in a crisis. The Reformation had sparked abuses; the Sack of Rome (1527) was a recent memory; war clouds were gathering over Italy and the mood of Europe had changed. Confidence had been replaced by anxiety and hope by fear.
While Michelangelo agreed to execute the work of art, Sebastiano del Piombo, considering Michelangelo’s old age, persuaded the Pope to have the altar wall prepared for an oil painting. This however was beyond the artist’s wits. Michelangelo considered it as an insult and never forgave him. He strongly insisted to work on what he knew best – buon fresco!
The painting is a powerful execution of 391 figures, no two alike in an appalling drama in a variety of dynamic poses. At the center of the composition is the demanding figure of Christ set against a golden aureole. His raised hand, as a gesture of command, sets the events into motion. The Virgin nestles by His side, her hands crossed, indicating prayer and intercession.
Right below Christ are the angels of judgement, 8 in number, blowing their trumpets with all their might to convoke the dead from the four quarters of the earth. On their right is the gaping mouth of a cavern, an entrance to purgatory. The dead with shaking shrouds and drooping eyelids realise it is time to rise. Some rise effortlessly, others are pulled by 
an invisible force; still others uplifted by an army of angels. Interestingly a pair of souls cling on to a rosary (prayer). Another soul is caught in a tug of war, pulled at one end by two angels and at the other by a nasty demon.
On the other side of the composition are the damned, gawky and muddy as they scream and scramble. They are being delivered to hell in the boat of the inferno. Charon, the boat man, with eyes of burning ambers torments and bullies the damned, striking them with his oar. It was Dante’s Divine Comedy and classical mythology that served as a source of inspiration for this scene.
While Michelangelo was busy painting the Last Judgement, one morning Pope Paul III along with Biageo da Cesena, the master of ceremonies, came to visit him. The Pope enquired with Cesena about his opinion of the frescoes. To Michelangelo’s utter disgust, the man responded that he didn’t like it at all and that such pictures were suited for roadside taverns and bath houses. Enraged, Michelangelo decided to have his revenge.
What better way than drawing Cesena’s likeness as the figure of Minos, the judge of the damned. He gave him donkey ears with a large green snake encompassing his physical frame. Cesena was horrified when he saw this. But Michelangelo refused to budge. Cesena went on to complain to the Pope who wittingly replied, ‘Had Michelangelo sent you to purgatory, I could intercede for you. But since he has placed you in hell, I have no power to save you.’
Just above this scene are the damned battered down by angels, thwarting their frantic attempts to ascend. Probably the most harassed of all is the figure of the damned man. He has three demons coiled around him. But what’s interesting is his psychological turmoil. He has recently realised that he is going to spend his eternity in hell. He covers his one eye fearing his fate, while with his second eye he gapes at the recognition of reality.
The painting is meant to provoke terror as well as the triumph of Christ. Surrounding Christ and His mother are the elect, the patriarchs, the saints and the martyrs. These include, (from Christ right to left) Eve, Adam, St. John the Baptist, St. Andrew, St Lawrence, St Bartholomew, St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Simon the Zealot, St. Phillip, St. Blaise, St. Catherine, St. Sebastian and Simon the Cyrene. They are recognised by the symbols they carry. Flanking the center are the angels carrying the instruments of the Passion of Christ.
The mystery that has unravelled the ages is that of the face on the flayed skin of Bartholomew. Theories speculate that it is the self portrait of the artist himself (thanks to his broken nose!). Intriguingly the skin is placed on a perfect diagonal. It begins with the Cross, then Christ, next the skin and finally the damned man. Bartholomew holds the skin ever so lightly, as if; the skin may suddenly slip and fall into the boat of Charon on its way to hell.
Michelangelo at this point of time was concerned about the fate of his endangering health and the destiny of his own soul. The self portrait was an outer sign of his inner resolve to move closer to faith and the love of God; to devote his work to God’s greater glory.
He was indeed God’s sculptor, God’s painter, God’s architect and God’s artist. He was Michelangelo, il Divino!
The Archdiocesan Heritage Museum, Mumbai is open from Tuesday to Sunday between 9am to 5pm. For a guided tour please contact: 022 – 29271557
Joynel Fernandes is the Assistant Director of the Archdiocesan Heritage Museum, Mumbai. She is currently pursuing her Masters in History. Researching on Church History and Church art is her passion. She hopes to make its understanding more approachable to the younger generation.