You’ve seen them a thousand times before you even get there.
Michelangelo’s ceiling and wall frescoes of the Sistine Chapel
are perhaps the most recognizable pieces of art in the world,
reproduced so much that they’ve become part of the visual
furniture of our lives. Getting to this enormous work isn’t
easy; indeed, it’s almost an act of penance in itself, waiting
in endless queues and battling flag-following tour groups. But
none of that, nor the simple entrance to the chapel, can prepare
you for the magnificence of what lies beyond. Despite the
crowds, the noise and the periodic chiding of the guards, seeing
these luminous paintings in the flesh for the first time is a
moving experience. The ceiling frescoes get the most attention,
although staring at them for long in the high, barrel-vaulted
chapel isn’t great for the neck muscles. Commissioned by Pope
Julius II in 1508, they depict scenes from the Old Testament,
from the Creation of Light at the altar end to the Drunkenness
of Noah at the other, intersper