Vatican launches Michelangelo 'code'
A series of four books presented at the Vatican seeks to explain how Michelangelo and other artists translated the Bible into images to produce in the Sistine Chapel some of the world’s most renowned frescoes.
The first volume focuses on Michelangelo’s ceiling and its scenes from the book of Genesis and the creation of the world.
Vatican Museums director Antonio Paolucci said the volume offers a “basic code” to understand the symbols and scenes that adorn the room where popes are elected.
The series is called 'The Painted Word' and is published by the Vatican Museums’ publisher along with Italian daily Il Sole 24Ore.
The first book, a coffee-table volume rich in photos, comes out on Friday.
Two more will follow focusing on the wall paintings by 15th-century artists such as Sandro Botticelli, and the series will end December 11 with a volume on Michelangelo’s 'Last Judgment'.
