Michelangelo: The Sistine Chapel Ceiling, Delphic Sibyl

What captures the eye in the central figure is the emphasized elegance and ease of movement — and how these found their way into the depicted body. Michelangelo’s technique never ceases to amaze; his foreshortenings are uncompromising and consequently the illusion of space is overwhelming. He uses both architecture and human form to forge a three dimensional presence: the stony perspectives provide the rigor, while the soft, fluent motions enliven the angular lines. The artist creates a complex interplay between the architectonic and human elements, and that they both cover a part of a structure to be filled by people — and supposedly God — only adds to the complexity.

The Sistine Chapel; Ceili…

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I suppose that already here we witness the first elements of mannerism, the hand motions being overtly theatrical. There is an intricate harmony between the legs, the arms and the neck and the face of the sibyl. Moreover, some of her body parts harmonize with the figure behind her, to consolidate the scene into a unified composition — though any claims to have found a local composition have to stand the test of the larger context, that of the whole ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. This is what happens concerning the balance of the figure: most of the limbs (the knees and the left hand) point towards one direction. The cloak and the back balance them out — but not entirely. In order to give some more stability to the subject, Michelangelo turns her head (including the glance!) and the left foot to the right (both correlate for this purpose), while the right arm weighs the whole configuration down, working as a stabilizing axis. Displaying a complicated series of angles and resting points, this sibyl can take hours upon hours of studying.

Delphic Sibyl

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The right thigh of the boy behind the oracle is parallel to her left leg, and their right and left arms correspond similarly. His back (along with the scroll) is arched in the opposite direction of her back, to enclose the scene and unify it. The head of the other boy provides more depth and interest to the background scene. Still, it lacks the color that lavishly adorns the main actor, as not to distract the viewer from the center. The clothing consists of three parts, the cold blue for the head, the warmer green for the body and the hot orange and gold for the lower extremities. The color of the head-dress may refer to the state of mind in which prophecies are foretold, whereas the color that covers the legs may imply the dances and violent rituals that were performed to achieve it.

Sistine Chapel Ceiling: Delphic Sibyl

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The white of the book an the scroll fail to draw the attention of the viewer; the artist avoids symbolism of intellectual capacity and focuses on the physique. I will also add that her face, though beautiful, seems rather blank and weak-willed. She looks away from what is written, uninterested and only slightly concerned — she speaks of fate to others, but perhaps her own fate worries her more than anything else. It also seems that she sits uncomfortably in the architectural surroundings, trapped and stifled by the walls. There is something over the top and overripe in the sibyl’s appearance, a quality removed from the biblical prophets shown on the same ceiling. Thus, perhaps Michelangelo might have been offering a more subtle religious commentary, alongside the grand one, of the fresco itself as a whole.

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Michelangelo: The Sistine Chapel Ceiling, Delphic Sibyl

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