Actual size of Michelangelo’s figures
L: Michelangelo, Jonah in detail of Sistine ceiling
R: Dr. Caolucci on scaffolding in front of Jonah's leg
How large are Michelangelo's figures on the Sistine ceiling? Visitors find it difficult to tell from the chapel floor because they are so far away. It was not until I saw the photograph at right that I realized their true size. Jonah's thigh is wider than the height of the art historian's torso!
Trying to imagine Michelangelo painting these figures on a curved ceiling while sitting on a plank dangerously far from the floor is - well - unimaginable.
Posted 20 Nov 2014: MichelangeloVisual Perception
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