Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel from 1508 to 1541, during a time of transformation for not only the Catholic Church but for art as well. Pope Julius II originally commissioned Michelangelo to paint the ceiling. It was almost two-and-one-half centuries later that he again called upon Michelangelo to paint the back wall as well. His original project would take him for years, 1508-1512. At this time Rome was in the midst of a Renaissance. In its triumphant …showed first 75 words of 520 total…

…showed last 75 words of 520 total…to reach more people and represent a larger spectrum of personal beliefs. At this time the printing press was also enabling new ideas to spread. All of this eventually added to a corruption in the Catholic Church. The social norm was changing at an uncontrollable pace, and art was soon to follow. What gave Michelangelo the freedom to express his visions as his own, also gave the Church the right to take that freedom away.