The world-renowned Sistine Chapel exhibition has brought a tiny slice of Rome to Leeds.
Whether you enjoy art or not, there’s no doubt you’d have heard about Michelangelo or at the very least seen his work, which dates back to the 16th Century.
The famous The Creation of Man painting - where two men are reaching their index fingers towards each other, is among the 34 paintings which are on display at Versa Leeds Studio, in Whitehall Road, just a short walk from the city centre.
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Normally, you'd have to travel to the Vatican to admire the masterpieces but people can see them in Leeds from a different perspective until October 9.
The ceiling paintings from the Sistine Chapel have been reproduced using licensed high definition photos to create the exhibition.
The website reads: “The exhibition illustrates the restoration and allows us to view the monumental paintings from a distance of only 4 metres, as opposed to the usual 20 metres.
“Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel” thus brings an entirely new perspective to this work by Michelangelo and acts as a form of art in its own right.”
Each masterpiece is accompanied by informative signage and if you have a smartphone you can scan a barcode on the signage using the Sistine Chapel app which goes into a little bit more detail about the inspiration behind it so make sure you bring headphones so you can listen to the audio.
As a typical Gen-Z who uses social media pretty often, I have come across people sharing their own clips from when they have paid a visit to the Sistine Chapel - the real one - and have always admired it from afar.
When I saw that the exhibition would be coming to Leeds, it was a no-brainer that I had to go. It’s definitely not the same as going to the Vatican but I don’t plan on doing that anytime soon. This is the next best thing.
Having said that, it was a little underwhelming to see all these paintings in a very large warehouse with dark lighting but they were illuminated by spotlights and gentle music playing in the background.
People were able to get up close to the paintings and some would even pose for a picture before moving onto the next one.
At the beginning of the exhibition, people were invited to learn a little bit more about Michaelangelo. How he was a sculptor and didn’t want to be known as a painter and the fact he didn’t actually want to paint the chapel’s ceiling. After accepting to do it, he wrote a poem complaining about how miserable he was.
The exhibition as a whole was educational, as someone who has seen his art here and there, I am pleased I was able to visit the exhibition and learn more about what led to him creating this masterpiece all those centuries ago.
The exhibition was broken down by every segment of the painting and you could also learn about the biblical history of the subject and how he interpreted the scripture of the Bible - if you care about those sorts of things I’d recommend.
I can’t fault the exhibition for making art more accessible and giving people, who can’t afford to travel abroad, an opportunity to see it in their hometown or a nearby city.
But I do wonder what Michelangelo himself would think about it.
The exhibition in Leeds runs from Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 8.30pm. Tickets cost £10 for children and £12.50 for adults.
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