Sixtus came from a not a terribly important family in liguria, which is the area round genoa. The first impression that i have is that of walking into a jewel box - all around you there is the most incredible color and pattern. You really need time to take it in when you spend your little seat on this chavel. Sarah servile: I've spent more time in the sisty chavel than many tourists are ever allowed wete. 15 minutes at a creak neck andt we go.
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the astonishing work of Michelangelo (1477-1564) in this great chapel in the Vatican, firstly the ceiling with images from Genesis (of which the image above is a detail) and later The Last Judgement on the altar wall. For the Papacy, Michelangelo's achievement was a bold affirmation of the spiritual and political status of the Vatican, of Rome and of the Catholic Church. For the artist himself, already famous as the sculptor of David in Florence, it was a test of his skill and stamina, and of the potential for art to amaze which he realised in his astonishing mastery of the human form.
With
Catherine Fletcher
Professor of History at Manchester Metropolitan University
Sarah Vowles
The Smirnov Family Curator of Italian and French Prints and Drawings at the British Museum
And
Matthias Wivel
The Aud Jebsen Curator of Sixteenth-Century Italian Paintings at the National Gallery
Producer: Simon Tillotson