I have dozens, maybe hundreds of art books. Everything from Rembrandt to Renoir and Picasso to Pollock. A lot of the pictures I have seen in the flesh, as it were, but most of them I haven’t. Most of them are in galleries around the world which I am unlikely to visit. The advantage with reproductions is that one has access to all the great masterpieces of art along with their stories at one’s fingertips. But it’s not really a substitute. There is nothing like seeing the actual painting, to see its actual size, its frame and its environment. But there is a middle way.
The Vermeer Centre in Delft has actual size reproductions of all the Dutch master’s work, lined up in chronological order and now, in similar manner, you can visit the Sistine Chapel without actually going to Rome. International event promoters Fever’s presentation of this incredible room has been touring France for the past few months but it can now be seen in the centre of The Hague.
The Sistine Chapel is in the Apostolic Palace, the Pope’s official residence in Vatican City. Originally known as the Cappella Magna, it takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who had it built between 1473 and 1481. Johann Wolfgang Goethe said, “Without having seen the Sistine Chapel one can form no appreciable idea of what one man is capable of achieving”. The work is considered to be perhaps the single most important artwork in the world and certainly a cornerstone work of High Renaissance art.
If you are lucky enough to visit the Vatican to see the real thing you will not be alone, you will be elbowed and pushed by hundreds of fellow tourist all jostling for the best vantage point, taking selfies and generally being disrespectful. Not the best way to appreciate the masterpiece. Fever’s The Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo – The Exhibition provides an alternative, an environment where one can take one’s time and study the paintings close up.
Thirty-four of Michelangelo’s iconic frescos have been reproduced actual size and arranged in the Grote Kerk to give an impression of the Vatican’s unique Chapel. The space is an ideal location for the exhibition and creates exactly the right atmosphere and ambience. The huge wall paintings are arranged around the Kerk on specially constructed frames and the Chapel’s ceiling paintings, including of course The Creation of Adam, hang on wires above one’s head. Now, while everybody is familiar with that image and the fourteen meter high focal point of the Chapel, The Last Judgement, one is perhaps not so familiar with some of the other pictures which in situ are not quite so easy to see. This exhibition has brought them down to eye level so they can be seen at touching distance without having to strain your neck.
The quality of the giant reproductions is outstanding using the very latest printing techniques. The frescos were photographed after the restoration which was completed in 1994 following ten year’s laborious work, so all the colours are bright and crisp – maybe too bright and crisp. There are those who say that the Chapel was over restored and that the texture and the almost pastel quality of the colours have been lost. The painting was originally executed directly onto damp plaster which absorbed the pigment and reduced its intensity. The restoration was done onto dry plaster and consequently the colours are much more vivid. Nevertheless, this exhibition gives a unique opportunity to see Michelangelo’s masterpiece in a way that would otherwise be impossible. Michael Hasted 2nd August 2024
Fever’s The Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo – The Exhibition can be seen at the Grote Kerk in The Hague until 8th September.
