The Sistine Chapel Before Michelangelo | Part 1

Most people know the Creation of Adam, but far fewer know that the Sistine Chapel had a 25-year history before Michelangelo ever climbed the scaffolding. My friends, in Part 1 of our 10-part series on the Sistine Chapel, we start long before Michelangelo's time. In this episode of Art History Fun with Dr. Bryan, we meet Pope Sixtus IV, the Franciscan pope who gave the chapel its name (no, it is not the "16th chapel"), and find out why he built a giant brick box next to St. Peter's that could double as a diplomatic showpiece and a fortified panic room. We'll see how architect Baccio Pontelli and builder Giovannino de' Dolci modeled it on the proportions of the Temple of Solomon, why it has hosted every papal conclave since 1878, and how Sixtus assembled an all-star team of 15th-century painters, including Botticelli, Perugino, and Ghirlandaio, to cover its walls, under a blue ceiling scattered with gold stars. Then, in 1508, Sixtus's nephew, Pope Julius II, looks up at that ceiling and decides it isn't dramatic enough. CHAPTERS 0:00 The Sistine Chapel before Michelangelo 0:36 The ultimate artistic flex, and its secret 1:42 Pope Sixtus IV and the 1473 rebuild 2:44 Why is it called the Sistine Chapel? 3:08 A showpiece and a panic room 4:45 Built like the Temple of Solomon 5:28 Botticelli, Perugino, and the Renaissance all-stars 6:42 A blue ceiling full of gold stars 7:32 Julius II, Michelangelo, and the ceiling THE SISTINE CHAPEL SERIES Watch all 10 parts in order → [playlist link] Part 1: The Sistine Chapel before Michelangelo (you are here) Part 2: The Separation of Light and Darkness → [link] Part 3: The Creation of the Sun, Moon, and Plants → [link] Part 4: The Separation of the Sky and Waters → [link] Part 5: The Creation of Adam → [link] Part 6: The Creation of Eve → [link] Part 7: The Temptation and Expulsion → [link] Part 8: The Sacrifice of Noah → [link] Part 9: The Flood → [link] Part 10: The Drunkenness of Noah → [link] Have you been to the Sistine Chapel? What surprised you most? Tell me in the comments. WATCH NEXT Part 2: The Separation of Light and Darkness, the first panel Michelangelo painted last → [link] New art history videos every weekday. Subscribe so you don't miss the next masterpiece, and let's enjoy some art together. FIND US ON FACEBOOK Art History Fun with Dr. Bryan → https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?... I'm Dr. Bryan Zygmont, professor of art history at Mount St. Mary's University. Thanks for sticking around for nine great minutes, and see you in Part 2! #SistineChapel #Michelangelo #ArtHistory