who repainted the sistine chapel?

Answer 1

As far as I know noone "repainted" the Sistine Chapel. There was controversy over the restoration work however. Many historians thought the vibrant colors that were revealed as a result of restoration where not what Michelangelo originally painted and that restorers where replacing his original work instead of uncovering it. The frescos have looked dark and earth toned for so long ( as a result of candle and incense smoke, pollution and poor attempts at earlier restoration) that that is the way historians believed the original to be painted. Here is a link to an article that raises some good questions about the effects of the restoration.

Answer 2

There are actually many Sistine Chapels. Which one did you have in mind? If you were thinking about the one that everyone knows about, then a resounding "no" is in order. But you might find one of the others that could use a repainting, but not necessarily involving your particular talent (or arguably lack thereof).

Answer 3

Unless this is a trick question and you are not referring to the restorations done c. 1985 ... Michelangelo would get the most votes.

He repainted the whole ceiling and much of the re-plastered front wall with the famed "Last Judgement".

Answer 4

Henri Matisse

Answer 5

I wasn't repainted it was restored.

Planning the Restoration

In 1981 the Vatican held a press conference during which it announced plans to restore the Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel frescos. During the conference a schedule was drafted of the different stages of the restoration process. First Michelangelo’s lunettes, which portray the ancestors of Christ, were to be restored between 1981 and 1984. The restoration of the Sistine Ceiling was to take place between 1985 and 1988. Finally, restoration of the Chapel would be completed with the restoration of Michelangelo’s The Last Judgment. The Nippon Television Network Corporation of Japan helped to finance the restoration with a $4.2 million grant in return for exclusive photographic and filming rights. Several press conferences would be head later on during the restoration to allow the public to view the process.





Reasons for the Restoration

By the 1980’s the Sistine Ceiling had undergone centuries of degradation. Cracks had opened in the ceiling, frequently letting in the rain and consequently causing water damage in many regions of the frescos. Humidity stains could be seen and salt left behind from evaporating water had accumulated enough to create whitish stains that mottled the work and caused some paint to blister. In addition to these injuries the Ceiling was also covered in a layer of caked glue, smoke deposits and additions of smaller previous restorations which subdued the brilliance of color that had once belonged to the frescos. During a press conference held on February 5th 1986, Carlo Pietrangeli, director of the Vatican Museums, was reported to have mentioned that by 1800, the damage to Michelangelo’s frescos was so great that scholars began to describe the artist as a “painter insensitive to color.”

The goal of the new restoration was to remove the layers of soot, glue, and past restoration additions and also to reattach the fresco where the paint had begun to pull away from the ceiling. These procedures would restore the frescos to the state of brilliance and color that Michelangelo had intended.





The Process

The restoration of the Sistine Ceiling began on November 7th 1984. Restorers spent a good deal of time viewing the work and discussing what the procedure would be before actually beginning to clean. All the information available about previous restoration work was collected and analyzed. The scaffolding used during the restoration was a kind of bridge on wheels made of aluminum. The scaffolding was designed after Michelangelo’s scaffolding such that it fit into the very same support holes in the wall, which allowed restorers to avoid further damage to the Chapel. A special solvent that had been previously proved successful for fresco restoration was used to slowly remove the soot covered layer of glue over Michelangelo’s work. The glue had not been one of Michelangelo’s additions but instead was part of an 18th century restoration that was intended to brighten the already dimming appearance of the frescos. Throughout the ceiling cracks were sealed and frescos were reattached. In some places distilled water was enough to remove the soot. Since they had no intention of adding fixatives to the work, restorers had to pay attention to the future maintenance of the Chapel’s microclimate to prevent damage. Eventually, a new lighting system was installed that boasted cool filtered lights, a significant improvement to the harsh lighting that had been used to brighten the dirtied frescos. Restorers also installed a new air filtration system that would not only eliminate changes in temperature and humidity but would also filter out large amounts of exhaust pollution from Rome.

Over the course of the cleaning, qualified art critics and artists were allowed on the scaffolding to view the progress and offer their comments. Several press conferences held in February of 1986 revealed the results of the first phase to the public. On December 31st 1989 the restoration of Michelangelo’s Sistine Ceiling was completed, a full year after the proposed date. Nippon Television Network’s documentation of the restoration included some 15,000 photos and hundreds of hours of film. Restorers worked on the frescos for about 30,000 hours during the six-year process. It actually took twice as long as to restore the frescos than it took Michelangelo to paint them.






The Controversy

As with any restoration, the Sistine Ceiling had its critics. The Vatican and the majority of artists and art critics to view the restored ceiling agreed that what had been revealed from under layers of soot, grim and glue was nothing short of what Michelangelo had intended for the ceiling. However, a good number of critics argued that the restoration had ruined the quality of the frescos. Some claimed that the new colors were too bright; others claimed that restorers had removed valuable secco additions that Michelangelo had used to touch up the frescos. Restorers argued that they had not removed any details of Michelangelo’s, only dirt. They claimed that when up close to a fresco it is very simple to distinguish between secco layers and the glue that was to be removed. This controversy lasted throughout the 15+ years that the Chapel was restored and to this day some critics argue that the restoration removed a respectful quality of age from the frescos while supporters claim that the frescos can now once again be seen in the way that they were meant to be seen.




Resources Consulted:

Pietrangeli, Carlo, Michael Hirst, and Gianluigi Colalucci, eds. The Sistine Chapel: A Glorious Restoration. Italy: Harry N Abrams, 1994.

Giacometti, Massimo. The Sistine Chapel. New York: Harmony, 1986.

Haberman, Clyde. “Cleansed of Centuries of Grime, Sistine Ceiling Shines Anew.” New York Times. March 29, 1990. sec C17

Russell, John. “Conservators Endorse Sistine Restoration.” New York Times. April 16, 1987. sec C17.

Suro, Roberto. “Restored Parts of Sistine Ceiling Unveiled.” New York Times. February 5, 1986. sec C24.

Pictures of the Libyan Sibyl obtained from:

Janell Null. “Michelangelo Buonnaroti.” http://faculty.indy.cc.ks.us/jnull/colormich2.htm

All other pictures obtained from:

Pietrangeli, Carlo, Michael Hirst, and Gianluigi Colalucci, eds. The Sistine Chapel: A Glorious Restoration. Italy: Harry N Abrams, 1994.

Giacometti, Massimo. The Sistine Chapel. New York: Harmony, 1986.



Last Updated March 26th 2006

Contact: Katie Bogue at Wake Forest University

Answer 6

Michaelangelo...it was already painted when he began his magnificent cover up

Answer 7

^^^ STOP IT -YOU ARE KILLING ME