Who commissioned the painting of The Last Judgment?
Q: Who commissioned the painting of The Last Judgment?
A: Clement VII commissioned the painting in 1534, the last year of his papacy.
Q: When did Michelangelo begin work on The Last Judgment?
A: After the election of Paul III Farnese, Michelangelo, aged 61, began work in 1536.
Q: What does The Last Judgement depict?
A: The Last Judgement shows the Second Coming of Christ, as described by John the Evangelist in the apocalypse. The painting depicts the moment when the living and dead are judged by Christ, and their souls consigned to heaven or hell.
Q: How was Michelangelo's depiction of holy persons received at first?
A: Due to his depiction of holy persons in the nude with exposed genitals, Michelangelo was accused of immorality and obscenity. A censorship campaign was started known as "Fig-leaf campaign".
Q: Who launched this censorship campaign?
A: Carafa and Monsignor Sernini (Mantua's ambassador) launched this censorship campaign to remove frescoes from The Last Judgment.
Q: What happened when Biagio da Cesena complained about nudity depicted in The Last Judgment?
A: When Biagio da Cesena complained to Pope Paul III about nudity depicted in The Last Judgment, he responded that his jurisdiction did not extend to hell so it had to remain.
Q: What is reflective of Michelangelo's feelings for being commissioned to paint The Last Judgement?
A: In the painting, Michelangelo does a self portrait depicting himself as St Bartholomew after he had been flayed (skinned alive). This is reflective of contempt he felt for being commissioned to paint The Last Judgement.
