The Sistine Secrets: Michelangelo’s Forbidden Messages in the Heart of the Vatican
Five hundred years ago Michelangelo began work on a painting that became one of the most famous pieces of art in the world—the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Every year millions of people come to see Michelangelo’s Sistine ceiling, which is the largest fresco painting on earth in the holiest of Christianity’s chapels; yet there is not one single Christian image in this vast, magnificent artwork.
The Sistine Secrets tells the fascinating story of how Michelangelo embedded messages of brotherhood, tolerance, and freethinking in his painting to encourage “fellow travelers” to challenge the repressive Roman Catholic Church of his time.
“Driven by the truths he had come to recognize during his years of study in private nontraditional schooling in Florence, truths rooted in his involvement with Judaic texts as well as Kabbalistic training that conflicted with approved Christian doctrine, Michelangelo needed to find a way to let viewers discern what he truly believed. He could not allow the Church to forever silence his soul. And what the Church would not permit him to communicate openly, he ingeniously found a way to convey to those diligent enough to learn his secret language.”—from the Preface
Blech and Doliner reveal what Michelangelo meant in the angelic representations that brilliantly mocked his papal patron, how he managed to sneak unorthodox heresies into his ostensibly pious portrayals, and how he was able to fulfill his lifelong ambition to bridge the wisdom of science with the strictures of faith. The Sistine Secrets unearths secrets that have remained hidden in plain sight for centuries.
Author: Benjamin Blech, Roy Doliner
Hardcover: 336 pages
Company: HarperOne (2008-05-01) (2008-04-29)
ISBN: 0061469041
List Price: $26.95
Amazon Price: $15.60
Used Price: $9.83
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Fact Sheet: Airport Garden [Gardening Australia] "The natural beauty of Darwinâs Rapid Creek has inspired the landscape master plan for the cityâs International Airport. It builds on the uniqueness of the area and encourages the use of local native plants wherever possible" Tyler Br&uc…
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Ancient Mysteries, “Forbidden City, The: Dynasty & Destiny”
For hundreds of years the Forbidden City was a place of mystery, its doors closed to the outside world. The Ming Emperor began construction in 1403, but it took 1,000,000 men over sixteen years to complete. Lying at the heart of what is now Beijing, China, this labyrinth of over 8,000 rooms contains grand palaces and halls, temples, libraries, theatres, and living quarters for thousands of residents. Its buildings and gardens spread over 250 acres which are surrounded by an enormous moat. Twenty-four Ming and Qing (note, also spelled Ch’ing) emperors ruled from the Forbidden City, from the fifteenth century until 1911, when the Republican Revolution began. The palace complex was built according to the rules of “fengshui” or “wind-water”, an ancient doctrine designed to place the buildings in harmony with the earth’s energy forces. All major buildings face south to align them with the sun’s path, thus making them holy. “Jingshan” (”Scenic Mountain”), more commonly known as Coal Hill, was the location of the imperial pleasure ground. This artificial mountain was created from dirt and rocks collected in the digging of the palace moat and the dredging of lakes on the west end of the city. It was from this spot in 1644 that the last of the Ming emperors killed his family and hanged himself as Manchu warriors attacked the city walls. The last emperor of China, Pu Yi, was four years old when he was forced by leaders of the Chinese Revolution to abdicate his throne in 1911. Although …
Medals And Rights: What the Olympics reveal, and conceal, about China.
Medals And Rights: What the Olympics reveal, and conceal, about China.
Copyright The New Republic Beijing: From Imperial Capital to Olympic City By Lillian M. Li, Alison J. Dray-Novey, and Haili Kong (Palgrave Macmillan, 321 pp., $27.95) Beijing’s Games: What the Olympics Mean to China By Susan Brownell (Rowman & Littlefield, 213 pp., $24.95) Olympic Dreams: China and …
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I definitely had a spring slump on my blog and left my 2 to 3 loyal readers hanging out to dry. It’s hard to summarize 3 months, so here’s a top 4!, in no particular order. 1. Pederson (my roommate) made a cute video about our “family” a.k.a. the members of our apartment and Pederson’s girlfriend. T…
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Forbidden Cities
Forbidden Cities
The New Yorker’s Paul Goldberger discusses Beijing’s new architecture….
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Starbucks Closes Its Shop in Beijing’s Forbidden City Instead Of Having To Change Its Name
The company said museum officials would only allow the cafe to stay if it abandoned the Starbucks name and traded under the Palace Museum name in the Forbidden City.
BBC will show Olympic protests
BBC will show Olympic protests
From Richard Spencer in the Telegraph : The BBC, the only British broadcaster with access to stadiums this summer, says it cannot be expected to hide demonstrations if they happen at events where they have cameras. Its decision, which it stresses will be applied “responsibly”, will incre…
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Web extra: Meredith at the Forbidden City
Aug 6: TODAY host Meredith Vieira with composer Tan Dun and Jiang Xiao-Yu, vice chairman of the Beijing Olympic Committee.
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