Thematic items

Painted ceiling

Daniel Comșa

I recently revisited the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel painted by Michelangelo Buonarroti. Although the entire Vatican museum converges on this point of interest, it succeeds (through displays that actually lead you through the entire museum) in an ending that is somewhat expected. The ceiling that we know from art albums has been suffering for a few years now from a restoration in too-little pastel colors, striking in the frankness of the green and purple tones. Inappropriate lighting in the space alters the colors, and together with the crowding of visitors and the international tones, "No picture please", "Silenzio prego", shouted cyclically by the keepers of this treasure, make this space far too busy for the time of detail. [...] I recently saw again the Sistine Chapel ceiling, painted by Michelangelo. Although the entire Vatican museum converges towards this point of interest, the posters that actually guide one through the museum turn this into a somewhat predictable ending. The ceiling we know from art albums has been subjected for several years to works of restoration that made too little use of pastels, causing uneasinesss through the frank sharpness of the green and violet used. An improper lighting of the space alters the colors, and that, coupled with the cramming of visitors and the regular multilingual yells of the guardians of this treasure, such as "No picture please" or "Silenzio prego" render this space far too charged to actually be able to take your time and scrutinize the details. [...]

Read the full text in issue 2 / 2011 of Arhitectura Magazine.

Read the full text in the print magazine.