MICHELANGELO Buonarroti
(b. 1475, Caprese, d. 1564, Roma)

Isaiah (detail)

1509
Fresco
Cappella Sistina, Vatican

A prophet of the Passion, Isaiah has interrupted his reading of the book, which he keeps open with his right hand. As if his attention were being attracted by the boy behind him, he turns his face to the left with an anguished expresseion. However, his eyes are not focused on anything; the vision that disturbs him is an interior one, and his tension is expressed by the way he contorts his limbs, which is reflected in his head, shoulders, arms, and crossed feet. This movement is stressed by the arc of the blue mantle lined with green and the folds of the grayish-white robe and rose tunic.