While the 300 figures of the Sistine Chapel ceiling never repeat, there is plenty of repetition of not only figures but also actions in Michelangelo’s fresco "The Last Judgement". Michelangelo worked on "The Last Judgement" twenty five years after the Sistine Chapel ceiling and many years after the death of Pope Julius II. In "The Last Judgement" there is certainly a great shift in artistic style; Michelangelo seems to be more pessimistic, devoted and agitated, almost as though he is afraid for his own fate and the fate of those who follow the Christian faith. There is no longer this display of idealized Christian biblical stories, but a more fearful and submissive display to power. There is definitely a judgement being portrayed, with the believers raised to heaven on the right, the sinners flung to hell on the left, and the portrayal of saints carrying out how they were tortured and killed (such as that of Saint. Bartholomew who was skinned alive and is shown carrying his own skin and a knife). Furthermore, while there is a sense of calm and peace in the atmosphere of the works of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, "The Last Judgement" is much more frenzied and dramatic. This is due to the difference in time periods between the two of Michelangelo’s works. "The Last Judgement" was commissioned by Pope Clement VII during the Reformation, a time in which there was doubt and betrayal in the church and many people questioned the over importance and sanctity of Mary as a holy figure. In a way, Michelangelo protects and defends Mary by showing her hidden behind the Christ figure, bent and turning away, as though she considers her son’s judgement terrible and brutal but can do nothing to stop it despite her holiness. On the other hand, there was no such doubt, confusion, and disruption in the church during the creation of the Sistine Chapel, and the calms and peaceful emotion that one receives from observing the ceiling reflects that unity with the church.
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