What does the Sistine Chapel symbolism?

Answer 1

The Sistine Chapel tells the story of the creation of man and the in three levels it shows that man could communicate with God directly without the church. This was a new thought since everyone had been taught that man had to go through the Church to communicate with God. Michelangelo was a reader of Plato and this shows in his art.

Answer 2

The theme as exemplified in art is God's relationship to man. This begins with the biblical version of the creation where Adam barely reaches out to God who is striving to connect with him. This represents the proud and sinful nature of man. The paintings also show the story of the life of Jesus Christ. Ultimately Christ is represented as giving the keys of heaven to Peter (one of the twelve apostles). This is the Catholic church's historical claim that grants them moral and spirtual athority. It must be stated that the chapel is an important symbol of the Catholic church and thus displays their teachings and traditions. Moreover, modern theological opinions were widely influenced by classical artists such as Michelangelo, Raphael, and Boticelli all who participated in making the extrordinary art of the Sistine chapel. Sistine Chapel (Italian: Cappella Sistina) is the best-known chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope in Vatican City. Its fame rests on its architecture, evocative of Solomon's Temple of the Old Testament and on its decoration which has been frescoed throughout by the greatest Renaissance artists including Michelangelo, Raphael, Bernini, and Sandro Botticelli. Under the patronage of Pope Julius II, Michelangelo painted 12,000 square feet (1,100 m2) of the chapel ceiling between 1508 and 1512. He resented the commission, and believed his work only served the Pope's need for grandeur. However, today the ceiling is widely believed to be Michelangelo's crowning achievement. The Sistine Chapel takes its name from a pope, Pope Sixtus IV, who restored the old Cappella Magna between 1477 and 1480. During this period a team of painters that included Pietro Perugino, Sandro Botticelli and Domenico Ghirlandaio created a series of frescoed panels depicting the life of Moses and the life of Christ, offset by papal portraits above and trompe l'oeil drapery below. These paintings were completed in 1482, and on August 15, 1483,[1] Sixtus IV consecrated the first mass in honor to Our Lady of the Assumption. * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sistine_Chapel

Answer 3

The Creation and other scenes from Genesis.