What type of painting is the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel?
Watercolor
Oil
Encaustic
Fresco
0%
Correct
When Pope Julius II asked Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel, the 33-year-old hesitated. The artist identified as a sculptor, and had no experience with painting — let alone fresco painting, a style that involved applying color to a thin layer of typically wet plaster. But Michelangelo reluctantly accepted the job and spent four years of his life painting the Sistine Chapel. The result? A masterpiece of Western art, and arguably the most visited room in the world. Yet Julius didn’t commission Michelangelo based on merit; he did so at the behest of Michelangelo’s two artistic rivals, the painter Raphael and the architect Bramante. The two artists hoped Michelangelo would fail miserably. Instead, the Sistine fresco helped establish Michelangelo’s reputation as the greatest painter of his time.
Source: History.com | Date Updated: August 25, 2021