Art Appreciation At Its Finest!

This week in Art History, we read about the genius Renaissance sculptor and painter, Michelangelo Buonarroti. After sketching a portion of the Creation of Adam from Michelangelo's Sistine ceiling, students were challenged to lay on their backs under their tables to paint their piece. The point was so that students could begin to understand the challenges Michelangelo faced while he painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel high up on a scaffolding (bending, reaching, aching neck, strained eyes, paint splattering down on him)... I think they really appreciate how TALENTED and patient he was- they painted for all of 20 minutes with non-stop complaining about the process. It took Michelangelo four and a half years- plus he had the added challenges of making his own paints, applying fresh plaster and painting the entire ceiling using the fresco technique, and a screaming angry Pope Julius to contend with down below!!