Michelangelo and I

• Main Author: Gianluigi Colalucci
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: University of Bologna 2018-12-01
• Series: Conservation Science in Cultural Heritage
• Subjects: Michelangelo; Sistine Chapel
• Online Access: https://conservation-science.unibo.it/article/view/9233
• ISSN: 1974-4951; 1973-9494

On March 17, 2017, Gianluigi Colalucci presented his book entitled “Io e Michelan­gelo” at the Accademia Nazionale di San Luca. The volume was presented to the many people present by several personalities from the world of art history, such as Prof. Antonio Paolucci and Prof. Bruno Toscano, and from that of journalism, such as Nino Criscenti, who projected excerpts from the documentaries filmed on the scaffolding of the Sistine Chapel during the many years needed to complete the restoration, as well as reading excerpts from the book. The book’s theme is the story of the 14 long years and the memories that Colalucci has of the restoration of Michelangelo’s frescoes. From the first small cleaning test to the inaugural Mass that Pope John Paul II celebrated in the Chapel to solemnize the end of the restoration. The speakers emphasized the solitude and great responsibility of the restorer at the critical moments in the work, and the author recalled curious episodes and difficult mo­ments faced in cleaning Adam’s head in the Creation of man and Christ’s head in the Last Judgment, among the most exceptional ever painted. There were however also unpleasant moments from those who contested the restoration.