Last Judgment by Michelangelo Buonarroti, completed in 1541 on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel depicts Jesus and his judgment of humanity. It shows Jesus in the center, with his mother Mary at his right as he curses those to his left, many of which are depicted weeping or with bitter expressions on their faces. Jesus is depicted as a clean-shaven, blonde-haired individual, which is contrary to the scriptures, which document him as a Nazarene, who all had long hair and beards. A cross is seen in the upper left and a temple column seen on the upper right. Most of the painting’s people are suspended on clouds, many of whom are naked.
Michelangelo was famous for depicting people with ideal features; men are very muscular and well defined physically, women, which are very few, are what we would consider stocky today, but in Michelangelo’s day was ideal. There are angels blowing trumpets throughout the chaos, taking people up to Jesus. On the lower right there is a man standing in a boat with a oar in his hand, held as if he is going to club someone with it. To the lower right of Jesus, a man with a long, gray beard holds a human skin in his hand, perhaps a visual representation of a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Overall the painting is very busy and takes several minutes to examine all that is going on in the picture. I like the amount of detail that he put into this picture, and the possible allegorical reference to the fact that we are all naked before God. The blue sky in the background unites the picture, and the scattering of red and green throughout adds a layer of interest that keeps your eye moving around the painting.
![[Valid RSS]](graphics/images/valid-rss.png "Validate my RSS feed")
