Wednesday, February 11, 2015

The Chapel

I attached my parking tag to my car yesterday, hung my student I.D. around my neck, and went to my first lecture at TCU (Texas Christian University). Although my classes don't start until March; I attended one of the lectures I had signed up for. ...which was on the Sistine Chapel.
I was lucky enough to go there in person in 2004. I sure wish I had attended this lecture before my trip.. I learned a lot. First off, I had always heard that Michael Angelo was lying on his back on scaffolding to paint that ceiling and that is not true. He was very close to the ceiling on scaffolding and did damage to his back (and eyes), because of the unnatural position he was in for those four years.  I also learned that he really didn't want to paint this ceiling...as he considered himself first and foremost a sculptor..He also painted the alter but  at a later date.

Have you visited the Sistine Chapel? Your views? I thought in person it seemed smaller than I had imagined..maybe because it was so crowded...I could hardly move.

6 comments:

  1. my neck and shoulders ache just thinking about it!

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  2. Dearest Janey,
    On June 1, 2002 I did visit the Sistine Chapel together with my husband and our best friends from Dublin, GA. Funny that we had to go back for doing some sight seeing as we had no time for doing so when we worked and lived in Italy in the Venice area...
    Poor Michael Angelo indeed; mind boggling what he all completed!
    Hugs,
    Mariette

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  3. How exciting to go for a lecture on the University! It is long ago I was in the Sistine Chapel must have been in 1971 or so. But I remember the crazy amount of people and the guards chasing you through the chapel. I had hardly any time to look up at the paintings, it was more a survivel tour:)

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  4. The Sistine Chapel, for me, is one of those places that requires many visits. There is just too much to take in all at one go. I remember feeling rather overawed by it all, having past through so many huge corridors of fabulous paintings before even reaching the chapel.

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  5. Janie, You're a college student again! It good for us to keep learning. I've never been to the Sistine Chapel.

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