Michelangelo, Copernicus and the Sistine Chapel - Dr Valerie Shrimplin

A detailed examination of the themes, motifs and secrets held with Michelangelo's masterpiece: http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and...

It is argued that Copernicus' theory of the sun-centred universe is a key underlying theme in Michelangelo's fresco of the Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo's revolutionary design, depicting Christ as an Apollonian 'sun-god' positioned in the centre of a dramatic circular composition, seems related to Copernicus's theory of the sun-centred universe - providing important evidence of papal support for Copernican heliocentricity as early as the 1530s.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and...

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 1,500 lectures free to access or download from the website.
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