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Sistine Chapel

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Re: Sistine Chapel

#191

Post by jacquesm »

tinker_27 wrote: post #156
jacquesm wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In this case I should have probably used 'funded', but in those days not having a religion was not really an option. Michelangelo was at continuous odds with his employers during his lifetime, he dissected corpses illegally at first, later with tacit approval of some of the church bigwigs in order to improve his skills as an artist. It was a continuous give-and-take to see who got the most out of the arrangement. In…

The Agony and the Ecstasy, by Irving Stone, perhaps? Its the first thing that came to mind when I saw this. Irving Stone's Lust for Life, about Vincent Van Gogh, is pretty good as well.

Given the timing that is most likely the one but I wouldn't know for sure without reading a few pages. Thanks for the hint. I've long ago lost pretty much all my books so it's hard for me to be sure about what I read where and when. Much appreciated.

Re: Sistine Chapel

#192

Post by marcfawzi »

I went from Seventy Two to Sisty Four (sic) karma points all because of this stupid chapel. Get over your religious nostalgia and get back to real tech news... Thanks.

Re: Sistine Chapel

#194

Post by laureny »

Natsu wrote: post #145
ronaldx wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's hard to say that the Sistine Chapel was inspired by religion - it was paid for by religion, yes.

What do you mean by 'inspired' here? When looking at the chapel I see a large number of religious figures and imagery, so it seems odd to say that art depicting religious subjects, in a religious setting, sponsored by a religious patron was not inspired by Christianity.

It was ordered and paid for by the catholic church, of course it's going to represent concepts of the catholic creed. If NASA ordered their rockets to be painted with science based themes, you could hardly call such paintings "inspired by science".

"Inspired" implies that the artist woke up with an idea and painted it.

Re: Sistine Chapel

#195

Post by jacquesm »

marcfawzi wrote: post #150

There's nothing technically novel about this. It's also kind of offensive given the mass genocide committed in the name of religion. Hacker News turning to Christian News.

I can separate the work of the man that created this from religion, and I don't see your link between this work of art and genocide. And that's from someone who strongly identifies as an atheist. It's impossible to see something like this that someone worked on for approximately 5 years and not both respect it, be awed by its technical mastery and to appreciate the fact that it came to us through hundreds of years in the state in which it is today.

HN is at absolutely no risk of becoming Christian News because of this particular link. If anything it shows that even the Vatican can go with the times, which means there is hope of further enlightenment in the future.

Re: Sistine Chapel

#196

Post by jacquesm »

pavanred wrote: post #173
jacquesm wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mankind has made the most incredible art inspired by religion. Along the same lines, Bach's Chorales and in fact quite a bit of his other work. Try this, if you feel like some really nice classical music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MC3Upv8DuRQ

I don't think you can attribute most incredible art to be inspired by religion, considering that during those times, art (sometimes just ideas) that lacked religious conformity were dealt with severity. Perhaps the reason there is so much art that is inspired by religion because not much else survived. This brings a famous bit by George Carlin (I think) to my mind - ...It start's when we are kids, we are told to be c…

It's definitely possible to be a 'fan' of Carlin, Bach and Michelangelo at the same time without any hint of cognitive dissonance.

Re: Sistine Chapel

#197

Post by jacquesm »

frik wrote: post #185

Saint Peters VR-Tour: http://www.vatican.va/various/basiliche/san_pietro/vr_tour/M... more Saint Peter VR-Tours: http://www.vatican.va/various/basiliche/san_pietro/vr_tour/i... more Vatican VR-Tours: http://www.vatican.va/various/basiliche/index_en.html Special thanks to Villanova University in Pennsylvania (USA) for its contribution to the realization of the Virtual Reality Tour of the Sistine Chapel -- http://www.v…

> Please add "(2010)" to the headline (see copyright on the chapel floor)

I think (1508) would be more appropriate.

Re: Sistine Chapel

#198

Post by [deleted] »

marcfawzi wrote: post #162
visarga wrote: post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So, people were mass murdered in the name of both theism and atheism. What does that mean?

Just as it's offensive to celebrate's Hitler's (or Bush's) artistic achievements, it's offensive to celebrate the works of any religion. But for some insane reason, religions get to be celebrated for their contribution to the arts and humanities despite having been the force behind many episodes of genocide. Humans are crazy in that way.

[deleted]

Re: Sistine Chapel

#199

Post by jacquesm »

laureny wrote: post #194
Natsu wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you mean by 'inspired' here? When looking at the chapel I see a large number of religious figures and imagery, so it seems odd to say that art depicting religious subjects, in a religious setting, sponsored by a religious patron was not inspired by Christianity.

It was ordered and paid for by the catholic church, of course it's going to represent concepts of the catholic creed. If NASA ordered their rockets to be painted with science based themes, you could hardly call such paintings "inspired by science". "Inspired" implies that the artist woke up with an idea and painted it.

Michelangelo was mostly told to 'paint the ceiling', what he painted was of his own devising. For sure he would probably not have been paid if he painted a forest scene but there is some evidence in his own hand that his inspiration was mostly scripture (the OT).

I'm pretty sure the reigning pope approved of the design, both from an execution perspective as from the content itself.

But if he had done the job according to the normal way of decorating ceilings in that day we likely would not be having this discussion. It really is a masterpiece.

Re: Sistine Chapel

#200

Post by gabordemooij »

Locke1689 wrote: post #13
jacquesm wrote: post #6

Very nice. In fact, almost nicer than being there (though you should do that anyway if you get the chance). Because now you can experience the details for as long as you want without a hundred other people around you who are just as annoyed at you as you are at them. I get it that a tourist complaining about tourist attractions being too crowded is total hypocrisy on my part. But at the same time what I wouldn't give…

Having tried the Oculus Rift, the potential to experience this would be incredible. Although there's nothing quite like just sitting on a worn stone bench alone in a cathedral, just the chill air around you. It often makes me wish for a non-religious religion -- just a refuge of tranquility.

> It often makes me wish for a non-religious religion -- just a refuge of tranquility.

How about belief in logic? Like the Vulcans ;)

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