Memories of the Sistine Chapel

....."Oh my God, it's so beautiful!" I thought as I entered the room and peered up at the ceiling. I

had seen many pictures of the ceiling in books in magazines, but no picture could possibly

compare to seeing it with my own eyes. People from many different countries filled the room, but

none seemed to notice anyone else. Everyone's attention was fixed on the ceiling and walls of this

room where, many years ago, a man named Michelangelo Buonarotti had painted scenes from the

Bible for his beloved pope. I had waited years to be here, to finally stand in it's glory and look

upon it through my eyes. As I stood in the center of the Sistine Chapel, looking up, with my mouth

agape, I wondered how any human could have created something so beautiful.

.....While I was marveling at the visions of beauty me, I thought about everything I learned from the

painting: technical drawing skills, how to paint the human figure, the perfect use of color, and the

various other artistic methods. My current skills would make it impossible for me to create

something even remotely wonderful as this. I didn't have the talent or the skill to do so. I knew that

I would have to work much harder.

.....Art has always been very important to me. My interest began when I was young. When I got to

high school, I began to become interested in the great masters of the Renaissance like Leonardo,

Botticelli, and Raphael. However, my favorite artist is Michelangelo, by far. I had bought many

books and watched several movies about him, his life, and his art. Certain aspects of my style have

been solely influenced by his work. I base my entire usage of color and rendering of the human

anatomy on his works. When I had the opportunity to go to Italy to see his works, including my

all-time favorite, the Sistine Chapel, I whole-heartedly accepted. The mere thought of seeing my

favorite artworks had excited me for months.