UrbanNomad :
The interior painting of the Dome of Santa Maria del Fiore is one of the most extraordinary mural achievements of the late Italian Renaissance. It depicts “Il Giudizio Universale” (The Last Judgment) and covers about 3,600 square meters, making it one of the largest frescoes in the world.
• Main Artists:
The fresco was begun in 1572 by Giorgio Vasari (the famed biographer of Renaissance artists) and completed by Federico Zuccari between 1579–1584, after Vasari’s death.
• Theme:
The work illustrates the Last Judgment, arranged in concentric layers following the dome’s curvature. It presents a grand vision of the afterlife, inspired by both Dante’s Divine Comedy and Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel frescoes.
• Composition:
1. Lower zone – Hell, filled with demons, tortured souls, and moral allegories. It mirrors Dante’s nine circles of Hell, symbolizing the deadly sins: pride, envy, wrath, gluttony, lust, greed, sloth, heresy, and treachery.
2. Middle zone – Purgatory, where souls are cleansed by fire in anticipation of salvation.
3. Upper zone – Paradise, centered on Christ the Judge, surrounded by the Virgin Mary, angels, saints, and prophets. Above them shines the radiant sky, symbolizing divine glory.
2025-10-15 07:33:39