The Ecstasy and More Ecstasy

My Maiden visit to Rome

S Sivakumar, October 2007
 The Man

“It was in the marrow of his bones to create only the finest he could produce; to
create far beyond his abilities because he could be content with nothing that was
not new, fresh, different, a palpable extension of the whole of the art. He had
never compromised with quality; his integrity as a man and an artist was the
rock on which his life was built. If he split that rock by indifference, by giving
less than the exhausting best of himself, if he were content merely to get by,
what was left of him?”

That was Michelangelo, in Irving Stone’s ‘The Agony and the Ecstasy’,
thinking to himself reviewing his painting of Apostles on their thrones in
Sistine Chapel.

“And Michelangelo knew, just as clearly as he had known anything in his life,
that nothing would suffice for his vault but Genesis itself, a re-creation of the
universe. What nobler work of art could there be than God’s creating of the sun
and moon, the water and the earth, the evolving of man, of woman? He would
create the world in that Sistine ceiling as though it were being created for the
first time. There was a theme to conquer that vault! The only one that could so
overwhelm it that all of its ugliness and clumsy architecture would vanish as
though it never existed, and in its place would come the glory of God’s
architecture.”
 The Dream

“He was determined to get a teeming humanity up on the ceiling, as well as God
Almighty who created it; mankind portrayed in its breathless beauty, its
weaknesses, its indestructible strengths; God in His ability to make all things
possible. He must project a throbbing, meaningful vitality that would invert the
universe; the vault would become the reality, the world of those looking at it
would become illusion.”

“He visualized that everyone of the figures would look as though they could
move right off that ceiling and come down to earth.”

“He had to paint with his head and shoulders pulled sharply back, his eyes
staring straight up. Paint dripped onto his face, the moisture of the wet plaster
oozed out and dripped in his eyes. His arms and back tired quickly from the
strain of the unnatural position.”

I wanted to see this Sistine Ceiling in the Vatican City ever since I read ‘The
Agony and the Ecstasy’ (the biographical novel on Michelangelo) by Irving
Stone, just after writing my X Std exams in 1976.

Eventually my dream was fulfilled earlier this month. It was ecstasy and more
ecstasy for me all the way…

By the way, this book is one of my all time favourites. As I re-read the novel, I
came to deeply appreciate the struggle that goes into “creation” of any kind.
 The Sistine Chapel

The interior of the chapel consists of a single long nave (13 mtrs x 40 mtrs)
surmounted by a flattened barrel vault with spandrels
and a lunette above each of the twelve arched windows

Still today, the Sistine Chapel houses the conclaves of Cardinals that elect the Pope
The Full View of the Sistine Chapel
The Ceiling
 God creates Adam…

The most famous picture on the ceiling

… and the Sun and the Moon before that
 The Last Judgment
The mega fresco on the Wall
More Michelangelo
 The Pieta

Pieta is the greatest work of Michelangelo’s early years (1499). The blessed Virgin, portrayed as
a young girl, holds in her arms and contemplates the body of her Son, taken down from the Cross.
The work conveys a feeling of profound calm, filled with sorrow and drama
Mary up close (The same Pieta)

Michelangelo’s signature can be seen on the sash across Mary’s robe

 The Dome of St Peter’s

The immense dome (136 mtrs high) is designed by Michelangelo, at the age of 81, when he was
the architect Incharge of building the Vatican Basilica. When he died it was completed upto the drum.
The work was finished by Giacomo della Porta.
More Vatican Museum
At one stage, I even wondered if I would get into the Museum at all!

This is the long queue behind me. The Entrance to the Vatican Museum.
Queue ahead of me was even longer. This is where you had the Sistine and all!
It took two-and-a-half hours to get in
Eventually I got in just in time to get a glimpse
No different from Tirupati back home! and get out to catch my flight back ☺
The wait & the walk were worth it, as you see the
magnificent sculptures all around…
… and halls full of marble work
… and breathtaking ceilings & dome interiors
Paintings along the walkways
And on the Door Arches
You will believe the lively colours and 3-D effects
only when you see them
I walked into this hall, and thought
I was already in the Sistine Chapel
There was some Modern Art too
And surprisingly, I saw just one painting on stained glass
 Rest of Rome

We all used the proverb “Rome wasn’t built in a day” many a time;
I realised that you can’t even see all its highlights in a day!
All I had was a half day! Here is a glimpse of what I saw
 St Peter’s

The centre of the Roman Catholic faith, St Peter’s draws pilgrims from all over the world
St Paul’s, next only to St Peter’s
 The Landmark Trevi Fountain

The fountain is filled with coins! Apparently the belief is that you will definitely return to
Rome once more in your lifetime if you throw a coin into this fountain
 And the well-known Colosseum

Built in the 1st Century AD, this amphitheatre held animal and gladiator shows for
entertaining the emperors and common people. Gladiators had to fight each other to death!
 The Magnificent Circus Maximus

What was once ancient Rome’s largest stadium (remember the Chariot races in Ben-Hur),
is today little more than a long grassy esplanade
Pantheon, the Roman Temple of All Gods

Granite columns in the Portico shot here are awe inspiring

This is also a 1st / 2nd Century AD building
 Fontana del Moro on Piazza Navona

Remodeled in 1653 by another famous Roman Architect Bernini, who designed the Sea God
 Fontana della Barcaccia

Constructed in the shape of a leaking boat, this is one of the oldest fountains in Rome
 The Spanish Steps

The steps are a popular place to sit, write post cards, flirt, busk or just watch the passers-by
 Mussolini’s Balcony

Palazzo Venezia is one of the first renaissance buildings in Rome (15th Century)
In the fascist era, Mussolini used it as his headquarters and addressed crowds from the central balcony
The First Bridge on the Tiber River

Young lovers put these locks; they believe they will stay together for life
This is only one of such many lock hangers on this bridge
And then there are some odd sights,
you may find anywhere…
You can reflect perfectly, only when you are still
Standing tall, is a matter of relativity
Nature is an audience, even when the game is not on
 …Or a few even ones too,
that you don’t find everywhere
Thanks…
…are due to my knowledgeable Driver in Rome, Angeliano