Sistine Chapel

At first, the Pope Julius II wanted just the upper part of the room painted, but Michelangelo persuaded him to have the whole ceiling decorated. The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is 41 x 13.5 meters (125 x 42" approx.) and took Michelangelo several years to complete.

I drew a quick sketch of one of the Sibyls, with my head looking up at the ceiling, and back down at my paper, till my neck hurt so much! I kept thinking how much more tiring it must have been for poor Michelangelo, high up there on scaffolds, illuminated by candlelight. I colored my drawing back at home, not daring to use watercolors in the Sistine Chapel. The guards kept telling people "No pictures!", and everybody took them behind their backs. Michelangelo's Libyan Sibyl, watercolor and ink, 4x6" (10x15cm.) painted in Rome, November 2009.