Michelangelo’s Dark Night of the Soul: The Last Judgment

Presenter: Professor John Paoletti, Emeritus Chair of the Art History Department at Wesleyan University

Michelangelo is back for an encore! At our final program of this season, Circle of Friends again will be talking about Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564), one of the most famous artists in the history of the world and the art he created after his sculpture of David. Michelangelo’s The Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel represents the biblical Second Coming of Christ and the final separation of humanity into heaven or hell.  It is a dramatic, massive painting that evokes emotions of fear, awe and terror regarding the soul’s destiny. 

Professor John Paoletti, Emeritus Chair of the Art History Department at Wesleyan University, will decode for us the hidden imagery and meanings in this important painting and its connection to the Protestant Reformation and Michelangelo’s final sculptures of the Dead Christ. Professor Paoletti also will briefly consider Michelangelo’s contemporary poetry as a searing personal reflection of the uncertainties of the Church and its doctrines at the time.

Come join Circle of Friends for coffee, cookies and conversation and learn about the backstory of this brilliant and controversial masterpiece.

There is no charge for the program, though a free will donation is appreciated. 

Registration is required at [email protected].