(3) Artist: Michelangelo
Michelangelo Buonarroti, who described himself as a “sculptor, not a painter” of the Renaissance, gave art history several secrets to discover with his famous frescoes in the Sistine Chapel. Since some of the works were so high up that it was difficult to see any details, the artist allowed himself to include some not-so-subtle details.
It is now widely known that his depiction of God in the Creation of Adam, with his surrounding cloud of angels, closely resembles a cross-section of a brain. Since the Renaissance was also a time of anatomical research, many assume that the image was designed this way on purpose – although the interpretation of the context is still debated.
Another painting in the chapel depicts Pope Julius II as the prophet Zacharias with two angels, although Michelangelo famously disliked him. However, a closer look reveals that one of the angels is making a vulgar hand gesture (known as “the fig”) towards the Pope, which today would be comparable to the middle finger.
It is therefore not surprising that the figure in the wall fresco The Last Judgement , interpreted as Julius II, has to suffer in hell.
This fresco was also a painted-over work of art for a long time: Michelangelo painted all the figures completely naked – which was not well received by many of his contemporaries. During his lifetime, Daniele da Volterra was commissioned to add at least a minimum of clothing, which immediately earned him the nickname “braghettone” (“panty painter”). It was only during the last restoration that efforts were made to return it to its original state – a literal “revealing” that also revealed much lighter colors.
(4) Artist: Rembrandt
Rembrandt Van Rijn’s Night Watch is also affected by such a color change. The painting depicts one of Amsterdam’s riflemen’s guilds, but they do not patrol at night. Over the years, additional dirt caused the already dark painting to become a night scene, so that despite the darkness, the work should actually be called “Day Watch”.
Closer examination using the latest technology has also revealed a sketch underneath the painting that was later painted over. This supports several theories about this that were lacking proof until recently. However, it is not the only Rembrandt work that has been painted over; his Portrait of a Man also hides an unfinished painting under its layers of paint.