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Sicilian Culture: News & Views

From the World of Religion: Michelangelo's Birthday & The Sistine Chapel

For those who are susceptible to spiritual ecstasy, the poetry and music, the paintings and sculptures of religious symbols can be a rich source of fulfillment. It is in this context that I like to remember this day: Michelangelo Buonarroti was born on March 6. The paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel are magnificent works of art which touch the heart of the beholder in very profound ways.

Grand mythopoesie is implicit in the Scriptures of all religions, but its impact has changed transformed over the centuries. The mythopoesie of the Judeo Christian Scripture finds expression in marvelous Technicolor, as it were, on the ceiling of the Capella Sistina. This hall was constructed during the papacy of Sixtus IV delle Rovere, and has therefore come to be known the Sistine Chapel.

It took eight years to build the chapel: from 1475 to 1483. Its dimensions were inspired by the wise King Solomon's Temple, as stated in the Old Testament (1 Kings 6: 1-2): namely, 40.93 meters by 13.41meters, and 20.70 meters high, with side vaults. Twenty five years later, Pope Julius II felt it was time to re-do the ceiling, and Michelangelo was commissioned to undertake the task. It wasn't going to be an ordinary paint job, so it took some four years to finish the project. The completed work turned out to be one of the immortal works of religious art: grand and moving representations of some of the figures and episodes from the sacred history of the Bible.

We see here the Cosmology of the Book of Genesis, in which Light first separated from Darkness, followed by the creation of the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars. Then there is the creation of the essential substratum of Life, namely water. Next is the creation of Man. This is perhaps the most awe inspiring vision to contemplate. Here we see Divinity touching ever so

slightly the finger of Man as if to remind us that there is always that touch of the Divine in each of us. This could be taken as the deeper meaning of Imago Dei (Man being created in the image of God). Yet, we also discern here a touch of sadness that comes with parting: a reluctant moving away of Adam from God, but with a hint that he will see Him again some day. One feels as if God is saying, "Fare well, My creature!" This glimpse of Michelangelo's Creation of Man will forever be etched in the mind of anyone who has had the opportunity to behold it. Then there is a depiction of the creation of Woman. Other episodes, like the Temptation and expulsion from Eden; the sacrifice of Noah are also there.

It is good that the frescoes are on the ceiling of the chapel, for as one views them one has to see upwards: after all, we are participating in heavenly themes here. Today, a great many of the visitors are curious onlookers, herded in groups by tourist guides who repeat by rote paragraphs from booklets. But when Michelangelo completed his masterpiece, the scenes and symbols were all real in the hearts of the onlookers. They were not artistic renderings of ancient tales, but faithful and powerful visions of historical truths. Goliath and Holofernes, Haman and the ancestors of Christ had greater immediacy and historical validity than they have to moderns who look upon these from artistic or touristic perspectives.

Another essence of religion is depth of feeling and empathy with the Divine that is in any true religious experience. This is amply present Michelangelo's Pieta: that marvelously sculpted marble which reveals the purest love of mother for son. The peaceful Mary seems to be accepting the inevitability of the end, for her face is serene rather than sad, sublime rather than insorrow. It unites the pure of heart with that which is divine. This often happens in the context of love and sacrifice. The Pieta also reminds us of the miracle that brought forth God in flesh and blood through a personification of love and gentleness. Only those who recognize this as unfathomable mystery can know what the religious experience is.

When the sculpture was first exposed, some complained the mother looked younger than the son, that she was too heavily draped, etc. But such thoughts don't cross the minds of those who approach with piety. The perspective of the art critic, interesting as it may be, is different from the depth of feeling of the devout. The images and icons of religious art are not meant for art critics, but rather to convey and to assist in experiencing, the vision of profound religious truths.

So, on this birth date of Michelangelo who was of one of the greatest artists that ever lived, we reflect a little on just two of his many masterpieces that remind us of aspects of religion, because he also served the cause of religion in his own way.

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