Review of Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling by Ross King

 

 

    The book Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling by Ross King is a non-fiction work which relates the story of the painting of the Sistine Chapel. The author not only tells about Michelangelo and his painting endeavors, but it also details the exploits of his patron, Pope Julius II, as well as the life and feats of his rival, the artist Raphael.

    The book begins by briefly relating the life of Michelangelo before he came to Rome. It explains that Michelangelo originally came to Rome to fulfill a commission to sculpt the tomb of Pope Julius II. However, Julius then decided that he wished instead to have Michelangelo fresco the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo was very reluctant to do so, but eventually was persuaded to accept the commission by a mutual friend of both Michelangelo and Julius. Throughout the years during which the painting was being completed, Julius and Michelangelo continued to have disagreements about the ceiling and the ensuing payment. The author explains the process of making a fresco (including creating pigments), the difficulties which Michelangelo and his assistants faced during the four and a half years of creating the fresco, and what figures Michelangelo depicted on the ceiling.

    This narrative of creating the famous ceiling is woven into a storyline of the political situation of Italy at the time, especially concerning Michelangelo's hometown of Florence and the Papal States and territories under Julius' rule.

    The book is written by Ross King, who has written several books on the art and history of Italy, France, and Canada as well as given lectures at many museums throughout England and the United States. [1] However, he is most focused on the art and history of Renaissance Italy. [2] His knowledge of historical painting is manifest in his description of different techniques used for creating frescoes and his explanation of the process of creating and procuring different pigments which were used at this time in Italy.

    Nevertheless, while he may be an expert in Italian Renaissance painting, his knowledge of Church history and theology is sadly lacking. For example, when discussing Michelangelo's painting of The Temptation, which depicts the scene from Genesis in which the serpent tempts Adam and Eve, King states that the Bible explicitly says that Eve, a woman, was responsible for the fall of man and hence the Catholic Church has always taught that women are inferior to men. [3] However, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church clearly and firmly states, the fall of man was due to Adam's sin. [4] Furthermore, the Church does not believe that women are inferior to men and in fact emphasizes the equal dignity of men and women. [5]

    Throughout the book, King continues to be less than accurate in his depiction of the Church and her teachings. It does not appear as though King was maliciously anti-Catholic or was deliberately spreading untruth; rather, it seems that King's research regarding elements of the book relating to theology and Catholicism was superficial, meaning that King often related popular thought or propaganda as opposed to accurate, reliable information.

    Even though King appears to be a credible authority on Italian Renaissance art, his inadequate research and understanding of both the history and teaching of the Church certainly raises the question of how extensive or careful his research was in other aspects of his book. In any matter, for the purposes of this book review we will assume that his research regarding art and the politics of Italy are sound.

    Something which struck me while completing the book was that for having the title Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling, much of the book was devoted to topics other than Michelangelo or the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. There are several chapters devoted the exploits of Pope Julius II: his political negotiations, how he waged war on certain papal cities for disagreeing with him, and his feud with the French. More of the book speaks about Michelangelo's artistic rival Raphael. King relates how Raphael was commissioned to work on frescoes in the papal apartments, his progress on said apartments as well as other topics such as Raphael's rumored mistresses, which seem a little strange to include.

    As Gregory Wolfe points out, the wide range of historical characters "from Lodovico Ariosto and Niccolo Machiavelli to Desiderius Erasmus and Martin Luther," are all depicted vividly and rivetingly, but they have little to do with the subject of the book, of Michelangelo and the frescoes of Sistine Chapel ceiling. [6] A more accurate title for the book might be The People and Politics of Renaissance Italy at the Time of the Painting of the Sistine Chapel.

    Another aspect of the book which was disappointing was its lack of pictures of the Sistine Chapel. While the book did include a few illustrations, most were of historical characters or sketches of other art pieces of the time; of the eight pages of color illustrations which were included, only four were actual depictions of Michelangelo's work. Of these, two are wide-view shots which together depict the whole ceiling, but are too small for any real study or appreciation. The other two pages depict the prophet Jonah and two small, simple lunettes depicting ancestors of Christ. For a book with the Sistine Chapel as its subject, it seems surprising that more illustrations were not included.

    Gregory Wolfe also points out that an element which is missing from King's work is any analysis or consideration of how Michelangelo conveyed messages of Scripture and theology in his paintings. [7] Wolfe explains that Michelangelo was deeply philosophical and spiritual, characteristics that would surely influence his painting of Biblical scenes and characters. [8] Although it is one of the greatest artistic achievements in the world, it is a deeply theological fresco, not just an artistic one. [9] For instance, even though King spoke about Michelangelo's use of nudity, he only speaks about the growing Renaissance fascination with anatomy in medicine, missing the connection with the philosophical thought of the Renaissance which highlighted the both dignity of man as well as his fallen state; [10] Michelangelo appears to have portrayed these concepts through the the beauty of newly created man which contrasts the depiction of men after the fall, showing them as disfigured. [11]

    Overall, book conveyed the tumultuous relationship between Pope Julius II and Michelangelo in a interesting way, but King's treatment of the actual Sistine Chapel ceiling could be summarized in one word: disappointing.



[1] "Ross King," at Ross King, at http://rosskingbooks.com.
[2] Review of Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling, by Ross King, Contemporary Review 282, no. 1645 (2003), 127.
[3] Ross King, Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling (New York: Walker and Company, 2003), 193.
[4] Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd ed. (Washington, DC: United States Catholic Conference, 2000), 416.
[5] CCC, 2334.
[6] Gregory Wolfe, Review of Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling, by Ross King, First Things Dunwoodie Review 136 (2003), 71-72.
[7] Wolfe, Review of Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling, 72-74.
[8] Wolfe, Review of Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling,73.
[9] Christopher Argano, "The Theology of Creation on the Sistine Chapel Ceiling" Dunwoodie Review 30, (2007), 129.
[10] Wolfe, Review of Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling, 73-74.
[11] Wolfe, Review of Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling, 73-74.