I was extremely taken with this fresco mostly because of the artist's representations of the saints. Each Saint holds the instrument of their death as they ascend, alongside their savior, into heaven. At first it seemed odd that these saints would be holding their own murder weapons, but then I remembered our textbook, The Christian Theological Tradition explaining why Jesus is always associated with the cross. In Christ's case, the cross is not only the instrument of death, but is also his instrument of rebirth into the Kingdom of God. This is the same with the saints. Saint Katherine holds the wheel that dismembered her. Saint Lawrence carries a gridiron, representative of his tortuous grilling. Saint Bartholomew holds a knife and his own skin, as he was fileted alive. While all these objects brought about the end of the saints' mortal lives, they ensured that they would all join Jesus in this scene, the last judgment, as he recognizes those faithful to him. This veneration of the martyrs sits behind the alter, looking out onto the conclave. It stands to remind them of the importance of faithfulness to Christ and the church as they make one of the most important decisions for the Catholic community: electing the new Pope.
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Day 7- The Last Judgment
Walking into the Sistine Chapel, my breath was taken away. Not by the ceiling, however, as I would have expected. I could not believe the incredible detail in Michelangelo's The Last Judgment. This fresco, created over twenty years after the completion of the ceiling, depicts the apocalypse. Jesus is shown descending from the heavens, along with the saints, and bringing up those souls deemed worthy into the Kingdom of God. Demons pull some souls down, while Saints grab onto people and try to save them. At the bottom middle of the fresco, the Devil stares out at the audience, as though waiting for them. Michelangelo implies that he will be unsuccessful, however, as his fresco was painted exactly behind the altar and a large crucifix which blocks the Devil's eye line and keeps him in Hell.
I was extremely taken with this fresco mostly because of the artist's representations of the saints. Each Saint holds the instrument of their death as they ascend, alongside their savior, into heaven. At first it seemed odd that these saints would be holding their own murder weapons, but then I remembered our textbook, The Christian Theological Tradition explaining why Jesus is always associated with the cross. In Christ's case, the cross is not only the instrument of death, but is also his instrument of rebirth into the Kingdom of God. This is the same with the saints. Saint Katherine holds the wheel that dismembered her. Saint Lawrence carries a gridiron, representative of his tortuous grilling. Saint Bartholomew holds a knife and his own skin, as he was fileted alive. While all these objects brought about the end of the saints' mortal lives, they ensured that they would all join Jesus in this scene, the last judgment, as he recognizes those faithful to him. This veneration of the martyrs sits behind the alter, looking out onto the conclave. It stands to remind them of the importance of faithfulness to Christ and the church as they make one of the most important decisions for the Catholic community: electing the new Pope.
I was extremely taken with this fresco mostly because of the artist's representations of the saints. Each Saint holds the instrument of their death as they ascend, alongside their savior, into heaven. At first it seemed odd that these saints would be holding their own murder weapons, but then I remembered our textbook, The Christian Theological Tradition explaining why Jesus is always associated with the cross. In Christ's case, the cross is not only the instrument of death, but is also his instrument of rebirth into the Kingdom of God. This is the same with the saints. Saint Katherine holds the wheel that dismembered her. Saint Lawrence carries a gridiron, representative of his tortuous grilling. Saint Bartholomew holds a knife and his own skin, as he was fileted alive. While all these objects brought about the end of the saints' mortal lives, they ensured that they would all join Jesus in this scene, the last judgment, as he recognizes those faithful to him. This veneration of the martyrs sits behind the alter, looking out onto the conclave. It stands to remind them of the importance of faithfulness to Christ and the church as they make one of the most important decisions for the Catholic community: electing the new Pope.
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