Art School | Being Michelangelo

by Deborah Harju, posted on June 11th, 2013 in Art School

One of the greatest artists of all time is Michelangelo. He was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, poet and engineer. He lived hundreds of years ago, and died in 1564. One of his most famous works is the Sistine Chapel in Rome. He was asked to paint the ceiling by Pope Julius II. This was a huge undertaking for Michelangelo. Want to know how big the ceiling is? 131 feet long by 43 feet wide! And he couldn’t just paint abstract works, he had to paint actual scenes and people and stories on the ceiling. Here’s a look at how large the ceiling is.

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The Sistine Chapel’s ceiling took him FOUR years to finish! Did Michelangelo have to paint this ceiling lying flat on his back for all those years? Well, yes and no. He wasn’t completely flat on his back. He had special scaffolding built that curved at the top but he did have to bend backwards and paint over his head.

Today we are going to experience what it might have been like to be Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling. You will need paper, tape, a pencil and either some watercolors or paint if you are really daring.

Once you have supplies, choose a location for your “ceiling”. I recommend somewhere with a lot of light, and not too far from the ground.

Tape a piece of paper to underside of a table and set up a little space so that it’s comfy with pillows the right height, pencil nearby, etc.

I recommend sketching first because it can be quite disorienting to work at this angle. It really drives home and illustrates the concept of Michelangelo’s work on the Sistine Chapel. Starting out with just a few simple shapes is one option, but it can be as elaborate or as simple a project as you’d like.

Once the sketch is complete, you can use watercolors or acrylics, tempera paints. Peel the paper out from underneath your makeshift “ceiling” and admire your masterpiece!