Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling

“I am not in the right place — I am not a painter” - Michelangelo Buonarroti  

This lecture explores the commissioning of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling by Pope Julius II,  “the Warrior Pope,” and the complex dynamics between artist and patron. We examine the social, political and theological context of the ceiling’s creation, revealing how its imagery reflects both Renaissance ideals and papal ambition. 

Abigail Upshaw is an assistant professor of art history at UNCW with expertise in early modern Italian visual and material culture as it relates to social, religious and political life.