WHEN POPE JULIUS II ORDERED HIM TO PAINT THE CEILING OF THE SISTINE CHAPEL IN VATICAN CITY, MICHELANGELO WAS EVERYTHING BUT PSYCHED. First, he thought himself a sculptor, not a painter. Second, he fully understood the pressure – the frescoes had to not only please the pope, but to keep inspiring the conclave, the body of cardinals that gathers in the chapel each time a new pope is to be chosen. The frescoes had to demonstrate the power of God, the power of his kingdom on Earth, but above all they had to create a sense of unity and solidarity necessary to pick a new leader.
Read more at Monterey County Weekly