Without having seen the Sistine Chapel one can form no appreciable idea of what one man is capable of achieving. (Johann Wolfgang Goethe in 1787 in Rome) This work has been and truly is a beacon of our art, and it has brought such benefit and enlightenment to the art of painting that it was sufficient to illuminate a world which for so many hundreds of years had remained in the state of darkness. And, to tell the truth, anyone who is a painter no longer needs to concern himself about seeing innovations and inventions, new ways of painting poses, clothing on figures, and various awe-inspiring details, for Michelangelo gave to this work all the perfection that can be given to such details. (Giorgio Vasari on Michelangelo's frescoes in the Sistine Chapel)

The Chapel	Quattrocento decoration	The ceiling frescoes	The Last Judgment

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 14 minutes): Palestrina: Missa brevis