For those who cannot make it to Rome, and even for those who can, an opportunity to view the work of Michelangelo is available in Richmond through Sunday, Oct. 9.
“Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition” is on display at the Stony Point Fashion Park.
The exhibit showcases 34 frescoes from the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel reproduced using high-definition photography. While those who visit the original frescoes in Rome can only look at the ceiling from below, the Sistine Chapel show allows for viewers to closely examine the reproductions.
The exhibition is produced by SEE Global Entertainment, which has toured other global exhibitions, including Star Trek, King Tut and Frida Kahlo. The Michelangelo production show has appeared nationally and internationally.
While some may wonder how the exhibit of reproductions compare to the original paintings in Rome, some viewers found the experience much more fruitful when it came to Richmond.
Mil Bailey, who had visited the Sistine Chapel years ago, found the touring display more authentic than viewing the real thing. Instead of feeling rushed through crowds and viewing the paintings from below, Bailey was able to have a slower and more personal experience. Not only could she view the paintings from only a foot away, but she was also able to learn about Michelangelo’s process with the detailed signs and audio provided by the exhibit.
“Now I understand the background of what he was trying to depict,” Bailey said.
Gen Cutchin, long-time parishioner at St. Michael the Archangel, Glen Allen, was impressed by the exhibit. Multiple times, she remarked on the brightness of the colors in the reproductions. While the images stayed true to time and retained the cracks in the paint that exist in the frescoes, the colors themselves were vibrant and saturated, allowing viewers to cut through the dust collected over the centuries and see the ceiling as Michelangelo would have painted it.
The exhibition, which takes anywhere from 60 to 90 minutes to view, also provides viewers the historical context and scholarship surrounding Michelangelo’s work.
“I thought I was a Biblical scholar, but this shows me how little I still don’t know,” joked Bailey.
The reproductions are displayed across the gallery rooms, giving viewers ample time to view the exhibit at their own pace. While the Sistine Chapel ceiling is laid out in a specific order, the gallery show has the frescoes grouped thematically, with the scenes of Genesis, prophets and sibyls gathered into different parts of the showroom.
This strategic set-up allows viewers to see Michelangelo’s mental work along with his physical work, as well as his vision for the chapel’s ceiling from the beginning. Beside every reproduction, there is a map showing visitors where the specific fresco lays in the finished product in Rome.
Editor’s note: Further information about “Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition,” including ticket prices and viewing hours, is available at https://chapelsistine.com/exhibits/richmond.