Michelangelo – the Master and Ambitious Nobleman

How did Michelangelo paint for 4 years straight on the Sistine Chapel?

How did he create so many complex marble statues that were intricately carved?

Who Was Michelangelo?

• Sculptor, painter
• Came from nobility
• Began painting at 13 years old
• He knew many famous people – Medici, the Pope, and more. He was a celebrity himself!
• He took on many adventurous projects including the Sistine Chapel that took 4 years.
• He made sculptures for tombs, chapels, churches
• He sculpted and painted madonnas, took jobs for sculptures
• Even wrote poetry!

The Art Project

Painting the Sistine Chapel

• White or tan butcher paper 3 foot by 50 foot roll
• Tempera paints
• Paintbrushes
• Trays for paint (we also used some carboard for plates)
• Painters cloth to cover floor
• Free Sistine Templates printables online

The Process

1. Make a cardboard box chapel or just layer the paper under a table (flatter and shorter table is better).

2. Then attach your coloring pages or templates to the paper, layer a cloth under to avoid messy dripping!

3. Then grab some paint and paintbrushes to start painting under the table.

I had the kids wear clothes that could get paint on them in case it dripped. We didn’t have too much mess but we went slowly. As they tried painting straight up and complaints started up, I told them about Michelangelo and how he would mine his own marble, carry it himself by cart and horse and would take on very ambitious projects no matter what or who asked.

He was a celebrity of his own time and was famous his entire life. Even when he couldn’t sculpt anymore with all the aches and pains of age, he still painted, wrote and aided others in beautiful art.

My eldest was done after 10 minutes. He realized how hard it would be to keep a steady hand and paint in the lines that it was just not logical. I had to laugh.

The younger two went on painting for a lot longer than I thought. But my middle son realized rather quickly that the intricate multiple colors would not work. He ended up painting large sections in one color and then drawing on the sides of the pictures to try and “copy” Michelangelo’s work. He recognized that the hardest part was keeping a steady hand and being comfortable. That was more of the learning exercise than the actual painting with paints.

More Ideas:

Got a little help from these awesome bloggers: dadstuffsite.com and artsycraftsymom.com

If you can’t do the Sistine chapel with butcher paper and make an upside down tent using carboard boxes, carve a soap bar with clay tools and bar of soap, art fresco with plaster of Paris or other ideas above.