We ask you, humbly: don't scroll away.
Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you.Help Now >
Did Michelangelo paint a secret message on the roof of the Sistine Chapel?
FREE Catholic Classes
Michelangelo may have been an incredible artist who painted the Sistine Chapel, but he was also somewhat subversive.
Highlights
Catholic Online (https://www.catholic.org)
9/6/2016 (7 years ago)
Published in Europe
Keywords: Michaelangelo, Sistine Chapel, secret, message, art
LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) - According to experts from the UFCSPA in Brazil, Michelangelo included graphic symbols of female anatomy on the roof of the Sistine Chapel.
Michelangelo is regarded as the quintessential Renaissance man, next to his contemporary and rival, Leonardo da Vinci. He was a devout Catholic, who lived in squalid conditions by his choice. He often slept in the same clothes he wore for work.
Although he was devout, he was also critical of the established Church and several of its personages. It is reported that he was a homosexual, a fact evidenced by his writings and the writings of others. He practiced dissection and was an expert on anatomy, despite the fact that such practices were banned by the Church, which took varying attitudes towards the practice. Surprising to some, Michelangelo sometimes did his dissections in a building provided by a friendly priest. The priest would also provide Michelangelo with corpses when parishioners died.
These dual traits, devout faith and his subversive side emerged in his art. The panels of the Sistine Chapel are considered the greatest works of art ever created. His statues, such as the Pieta, may be the greatest statue ever created.
According to scholars, Michelangelo also hid symbols of the female anatomy in the Sistine Chapel. The lines in the curve of an arm suggest a vagina. The ram's skulls look curiously like a woman's womb with fallopian tubes.
What was he trying to say? According to the scholars, Michelangelo likely had an affinity for Jewish tradition and paganism and the role of the woman in pagan mythology. These ideas naturally conflicted with the Church, which was more of a masculine institution. Had the pope known what Michelangelo was doing, he would have been stopped. But it has been common practice, especially during the renaissance, to secretly communicate though art. Dante, for example, buried his personal enemies in the circles of hell.
The scholars who studied Michelangelo's art reported their hypothesis in the journal Clinical Anatomy. They pointed out that a lot of art from the period contains hidden meaning. They identified the inverted vee in the way that Eve holds her arms in the panel, "The Creation of Eve." This shape is a common depiction of the female anatomy in period art.
Other scholars have identified more organs and the shapes of human anatomy in Michelangelo's work. A kidney and a brain are among the organs possibly depicted by the Artist.
We ask you, humbly: don't scroll away.
Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you.Help Now >
Is this true or is someone attempting to slander the memory of Michelangelo? Unfortunately, this is more likely to be true then not, but there is room for plausible deniability, which is why Michelangelo concealed his statements in his art. It is known that Michelangelo did not enjoy working on the chapel ceiling and found the job miserable. He may have protested his assignment by including secret meaning in his art.
The Church is fully aware of the controversy, but is unlikely to make any changes today. Nudes that were painted by the artist were ordered covered with fig leaves in the 1560s. Those were uncovered in restorations performed in the 1990s.
Without conclusive evidence, it is left to the reader to decide what to think about Michelangelo and his work. However, it is difficult to explain some of his artistic choices as innocent.
---
'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'
Copyright 2021 - Distributed by Catholic Online
Join the Movement
When you sign up below, you don't just join an email list - you're joining an entire movement for Free world class Catholic education.
-
Mysteries of the Rosary
-
St. Faustina Kowalska
-
Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
-
Saint of the Day for Wednesday, Oct 4th, 2023
-
Popular Saints
-
St. Francis of Assisi
-
Bible
-
Female / Women Saints
-
7 Morning Prayers you need to get your day started with God
-
Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Sacrifices of Faith: The Pro-Life Legacies of St. Gianna and Jessica Hanna
-
How to love God by caring for our bodies
-
Pope Francis calls for negotiations to End Russia-Ukraine War
-
Pope Francis Contemplates Return to U.S. for United Nations Assembly Address
-
Pope Francis Calls on Faithful to Embrace Faith, Hope, and Charity in New Teaching Series
Daily Catholic
- Daily Readings for Sunday, April 28, 2024
- St. Peter Chanel: Saint of the Day for Sunday, April 28, 2024
- Prayer before a Crucifix: Prayer of the Day for Sunday, April 28, 2024
- Daily Readings for Saturday, April 27, 2024
- St. Zita: Saint of the Day for Saturday, April 27, 2024
- Prayer for the Dead # 2: Prayer of the Day for Saturday, April 27, 2024
Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U.S. and International copyright laws, © Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited.
Catholic Online is a Project of Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Corporation. Your Catholic Voice Foundation has been granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.