Michelangelo’s Last Judgement: Art and Religion Between Reformation and Counter-Reformation

Abstract

Michelangelo’s Last Judgement has been a controversial work since it was completed, as the Roman Curia was concerned with the impact of the fresco on Protestants’ criticism. As they opposed to religious art, and fiercely censured the popes’ lack of spirituality, the Roman Curia feared Protestants would use the Last Judgement as weapon against Catholics. Nevertheless, all criticism towards Michelangelo’s work and its consequent censorship came fundamentally from Catholics. Regarded as revolutionary, the Sistine fresco was also deeply indebted to medieval iconographic tradition of the Last Judgement. Michelangelo, in fact, could not have conceived his huge fresco without the inspiration taken from the many preceding iconographic models. This paper shall analyse Michelangelo’s Last Judgement fresco in its compositional structure, and particularly in its iconographic aspects. We shall discuss the elements which aroused the criticism of the Roman Curia, and which could have justified the destruction of the fresco.