Lecturer:  Charles Vincent Sabba

Charles Vincent Sabba is a retired police captain and artist. He is an artistic patrimony resource person and an Art world investigative journalist with an art crimes column in the online newspaper La Voce di New York. He has been profiled in numerous publications, such as the Huffington Post, along with countless appearances in documentaries and television shows.

Before delving into Michelangelo’s masterpiece, it’s essential to acknowledge the chapel’s earlier frescoes, created by luminaries such as Ghirlandaio, Perugino, Rosselli, Botticelli, and Signorelli. These works set the stage for the extraordinary ceiling that Michelangelo would paint between 1508 and 1512 and the awe-inspiring “Last Judgement,” which he completed almost 30 years later in 1534 when he was nearly 60.

The most iconic of Michelangelo’s ceiling frescoes is the Creation of Adam, where God, who had never before been seen by humankind (except by Moses, from behind), is depicted reaching out to give life to Adam. In this scene, Michelangelo’s representation of God was groundbreaking, presenting the Almighty not as a distant figure but as an intimately engaged creator, physically shaping the first man.

Michelangelo, who viewed God as the ultimate artist, sought to recreate the divine order and beauty of the universe on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel—a feat as ambitious as it was revolutionary and a testament to the enduring power of art.

Please join us on October 19, 2024, as we examine Michelangelo’s creative genius and the legacy of the Sistine Chapel—a true marvel of artistic achievement.