The Last Judgment
Michelangelo·1536–1541
Historical Context
The Last Judgment is Michelangelo's monumental fresco covering the entire altar wall of the Sistine Chapel, painted between 1536 and 1541 — over twenty years after he completed the ceiling. Commissioned by Pope Clement VII and completed under Paul III, this terrifying vision of the Second Coming depicts Christ as a powerful, beardless judge surrounded by over 300 muscular figures rising from their graves, ascending to heaven, or being dragged to hell. The painting scandalized many contemporaries with its pervasive nudity — Daniele da Volterra was later commissioned to add drapery to some figures, earning the nickname "il Braghettone" (the breeches-maker).
Technical Analysis
The fresco demonstrates Michelangelo's supreme mastery of the human figure in every conceivable pose and foreshortening. The composition spirals around the central figure of Christ in a vortex of rising and falling bodies, using a dramatically compressed space that abandons the architectural frameworks of the ceiling above. The palette is dominated by the blue of the sky and the flesh tones of hundreds of nude figures.
