Teaching Children Art Appreciation: The Hands of the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo

The Paintings and history of how Michelangelo created this painting, on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel never fail to amaze and inspire. The details of the history and the making of that creation, the politics of the time, the dedication and time spent are quite interesting to learn about.

Tell the children how long it took, what he had to do to work on this painting, how old it is now and so forth.

Show them pictures of different parts of the painting and of the chapel as a whole from the inside. That way they can see where the paintings are. It will put it in perspective for them.

One of the most famous features of this particular painting, are the hand of man reaching to touch the hand of God. This was a scandalous at the time. The power in that one scene is unmistakable, and this is the picture the children will be drawing, so in the explanation, focus on the hands of the Sistine Chapel. Ask them what those hands look like they are doing, how they would feel, and what they look like.

Children are notorious for their short attention spans and the concept of spending years to do one painting, is an attention grabber for children. They will be amazed at what went into this creation.

To give them a small idea of what it must have been like to paint on his back, this masterpiece is perfect to show the lengths some artists have to go, to paint one of their masterpieces. This is a somewhat different way to have them do a drawing, but it will give them a feel of what it was like for Michelangelo to paint while on his back, for such extended periods of time.

Supplies Needed:

White paper

Masking tape or scotch tape to fasten the paper to the drawing surface

Coloured pencils or crayons ( If you don’t mind a mess, you can even try paints for this project, to give them even more of a sense)

Multiple Tables or desks with all the chairs pulled away, so the children can be under them.

Instructions:

Tape one piece of paper ,for each child participating, under the desks or tables. If you have limited table space, just have the children take turns creating their Sistine chapel masterpieces.

Then after showing them pictures of the hands on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, have each child lay on their back with some coloured pencils or crayons. Then instruct them to try and draw the hands. They can be as detailed as they want to be. It is not a contest for the best piece of art. It is a way to partially experience what the creation of the Sistine Chapel was like for Michelangelo and to appreciate his masterpiece. You might even try doing one yourself, along with the child or children.

After they are all done, gather the pictures they created and ask them what it felt like drawing that way. Ask them how they think Michelangelo might have felt and why.

Then if you have space display their artwork along with a copy of the hands of God and man that Michelangelo created on The Sistine Chapel.

One word of caution comes with this particular piece of artwork. Do be aware that the original Michelangelo paintings of The Sistine Chapel potrays some nudity. Either get permission to show this work of art to students or take the appropriate measures to cover up the parts of the painting, that may be deemed inapropriate by some parents, before you show the children the photos of The Sistine Chapel paintings by Michelangelo.