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Show 4A ; ; Tk Sail Lake Trlbmx, Sunday, April 2S, 19&5 Despite controversy over renovation work in the Vaticans Sistine Chapel, the semicircle of frescoes topped by por- - i I traits of 28 popes along the upper walls have been restored after four years of work. Critics of the project claim the i cleaning method and solvent being used are changing Mi- - chelangelos original somber tones and style. Restoration Work on Sistine Chapel Frescoes Distorting Michelangelos Work, Say Critics Editor's Note: Inch by Inch, workers with cleaning solvent have spent years removing the grime from Michelangelo's frescoes In the Sistine Chapel In a controversial prolect that Is uncovering bright colors where there had been only darkness. But one critic sovs the restoration has "turned the characters Into absolutely soft, rubber limbs and neon bright wet suits surrounded by wide black lines." By John Winn Miller Associated Press Writer A painstaking restoration of the VATICAN CITY Vatican's Sistine Chapel is dramatically changing the widely accepted view of Michelangelos style and method of painting, but not without controversy. Disappearing with the layers of centuries-ol- d grime are the popular conception of Michelangelo as a sculptor who only knew how to use somber colors to emphasize form and who toiled for years on his back to complete the Herculean task, the officials say. But the restoration, which began in 1980 and is expected to take 12 years, has drawn criticism from one group of American painters and at least one Italian artist who claim that the Renaissance frescoes are being ruined. Fabrizio Mancinelli, director of the project, disagrees. He says the restoration work so far "has radically changed everything once thought of Michelangelo. The colors are totally different As an example, he points to the cleaned lunettes above the windows that were once seen as as the ancestors of Christ in the darkness of sin, waiting for the coming of Christ. Matter of Dirt "This darkness was simply a matter of dirt, he says. Cleaning had begun in 1964 in the 15th century chapel where popes are elected, he says. After extensive testing, it was decided in 1980 to tackle Michelangelo Buonarroti's frescoes, using the same method and cleaning solvent as were used in the chapel. The first phase, that was completed last October, involved the 14 arched panels or lunettes above the windows depicting Old Testament prophets and heathen sib- 14 lunettes along the top, depicting Christs ancestors, and the popes down below have been cleaned after four The years renovation work in the chapel. yls. The next four years will be spent on the barrel-vaulte- d ceiling with 300 figures from the book of Genesis, completed along with the lunettes between 1508 and 1512. The last four years will be spent on Michelangelos Last Judgment" on the altar wall that dates from between 1536 and 1541. Mancinelli says Michelangelo, who tried desperately to avoid the project because he considered himself a sculptor and not a painter, worked at incredible speed once he overcame several problems rooted in his inexperience. At the end, he was able to paint all the larger-than-lif- e figures in each lunette in only three days, without the use e of cartoons preliminary sketches. It was a monumental work, says Mancinelli, adding that restorers have found bits of paint brush left behind by Michelangelo in his haste. full-siz- Wasnt on His Back New historical research in conjunction with the restoration also has put to rest the notion that Michelangelo painted while lying flat on his back, as depicted in the book and movie, The Agony and The Ecstasy. He was standing, Mancinelli says. The misconception, he says, resulted from a mistake by a historian of the time and because of a sketch Michelangelo made to show workers how "not" to build the ingenious bridge-lik- e scaffolding with poles from the walls instead of the floor for support. In the laborious cleaning process, chief restorer Gian-luiColalucci and two assistants apply a cleaning solvent called AB57 developed 20 years ago at Italys Central to a tiny patch of a fresco. It is Restoration Institute left on for three minutes, then sponged off with distilled water. As they work, the restorers are almost continually photographed and filmed by a special crew from Japan's Nippon Television, which paid $3 million for exclusive rights to document the restoration. Covered Platform The restorers work on a covered platform similar to one designed by Michelangelo. The dirt is removed slowly, one thin layer at a time. We never reach the surface of the color," Mancinelli says. We always leave a last little film of dirt to protect the painting. To be doubly sure that no paint is removed, pails of the used distilled water are tested by the Vaticans laboratoryMancinelli says the "true colors" had been hidden by centuries worth of dirt, smoke from candles and glues. Restorers, probably in the 18th century, applied the glues to brighten the dirty frescoes and accentuate the curves which they did briefly before turning even darker with dirt and smoke, he says. To the amateur eye the difference between the cleaned lunettes and the ceiling is astounding. The bright purples, gi oranges and greens are electric and clear, unlike the grim but powerful ceiling above. Mancinelli also says the restorers were surprised to discover that on the lunettes Michelangelo did not do any retouching a secco, meaning on the dry wall after the fresco and plaster had dried. This is a controversial point. Mural Painters Official Frank Herbert Mason, an American painter and spokesman for the U.S. National Society of Mural Painters, says historical documents prove that Michelangelo, like other fresco artists, used retouching a secco. Mason, whose mural "Resurrection hangs above the main altar at New York Citys St. Patricks, claims the restorers are removing the fragile a secco paint which is not imbedded in the wall like the fresco. They are cleaning it like a rug, Mason said in a telephone interview from New York City. His organization has asked Pope John Paul II in an open letter to stop the restoration until an international panel of experts can study the matter. Alexander Eliot, an ally of Mason and a former art critic for Time Magazine, says, Theyre losing an enormous amount of nuance and color. Eliot says he spent six weeks studying the chapel closely during the filming of an ABC-Tdocumentary in 1968. Eliot, who returned to the Sistine Chapel last March, claims the restoration has turned the characters into absolutely soft, rubber limbs and neon bright wet Suits surrounded by wide black lines. Stick to Black and White Colalucci responds that "some people, especially the older generations, would like to stick to the black and white idea of Michelangelo. The younger generation, on the other hand, seems much more interested and appreciative of this 'new version of Michelangelo. Giulio.Carlo Argar., considered by many Italys top art historian, and Alain Goldrach, head conservator at the Boston Museum, both said in interviews that an excellent job was being done by the restorers. But Toti Scialoja, a painter and director of Romes Academy of Fine Arts, disagrees, saying that he believes some a secco paint is being removed. He says the restoration based on what my eyes tell has drastically changed the relationme, subjectively ship between shadows and light and the frescoes have lost "their dramatic powers. Ambition Fulfilled Charles and Diana Tour Historic Sights of Rome Reuter News Agency ROME The prince of Wales fulfilled one of his ambitions Saturday as he and Princess Diana toured some of the historic sights of Rome. In a leisurely morning of sightseeing before lunching with Italian President Sandro Pertini, the royal couple viewed two of the monuments that yearly draw thousands of tourists from all over the world the ruins of the ancient Forum and the imposing Pantheon temple. For Charles, who studied history and archaeology, it desire. was the realization of a long-hel- d I definitely have felt for a long time that a large part of my education has been lacking because I haven't been able to go to Italy. lie said in an interview with The visit. London Times before the start of the "I am very much aware of what I have lacked. I think, in my general education in civilization and in the origins of civilization, of which Italy is such an important part." he said. After viewing the Forum, the social and political center of ancient Rome overlooked by the Capitoline Hill, the royal couple were driven the short distance to the Pantheon" where a huge and enthusiastic crowd of had gathered in wait. inginally built as a Roman temple in the year 27 B.C., the Pantheon was turned into a Christian church in the century and now house's the tombs of the kings of Italy and that of the artist Raphael. The pr inee and princess, w ho w as wearing a suit of light grey Mlk, roundt'd off their morning by conducting an ian-- r impromptu walkabout in the square in front of the 17-d- well-wishe- m n 4 An interpretation of the Oid Testament, this fresco was one of first to be completed in the renovation last October. Other i I research questions the previous belief that Michelangelo paint-th- e ed the Vatican chapel masterpiece while lying on his back. 4 |
