Last Judgment

One of the most powerful paintings is Michelangelo’s The Last Judgment depicting the moment of judgment for all humanity, where Christ is placed in the center of the scene. He raises his hand in such a way that his pose looks commanding and dynamic. On his right, the Virgin Mary is depicted, who lowers her eyes away in resignation. In addition, there are other saints, apostles, and angels that can be easily recognized by their specific attributes: St. Peter is holding the key of Heaven, while St. Bartholomew has his skin. Further in the painting, the scene becomes more dynamic and violent: angels are blowing trumpets to wake up the dead, and the risen people go up to Heaven on the left. On the other side of the scene, angels and devils are pulling the damned ones down. Further down, Charon is transporting the damned into the Hell led by Minos. These characters are connected to the theme of Dante’s Divine Comedy. Perhaps one of the most remarkable elements about the fresco is the artist's use of highly dynamic twisting human bodies in order to give life and movement to the image. There seems to be no feeling of peaceful arrangement of the figures but rather one of rising, falling and turning around Christ. The contrast between the ascending and descending figures adds to the dynamic and almost tense mood of the painting. The abundance of figures, their gestures and expressions along with the dynamics makes this image feel much more like an extremely emotional experience of the human soul than the religious scene it is.