Mancinelli, Fabrizio. The Sistine Chapel/ introduction by Frederick Hartt ; note on the restoration by Fabrizio Mancinelli; commentary on the plates by Gianluigi Colalucci; [photography by Takashi Okamura; translation, Lawrence Jenkens 1st English‐language ed. New York: Knopf in association with Nippon Television Network Corp., 1991.
EMME Interactive has a history of producing exquisite CD‐ROMs. This is no exception. This disc, produced in conjunction with ACTA, SCALA, and the Vatican Museums covers all the art of the Sistine Chapel. The user interface uses the metaphor of a Renaissance illuminated book with index tabs for the various sections.
The Chief Figures section provides biographical information about the artists who worked on the chapel. It also gives brief identifications of the various characters in the paintings. Colored text identifies hypertext links; but there are no visual links that let you click on a painting to identify a character or to go from the Chief Figures section to the fresco which illustrates the character. Forward and backward arrows in the lower corners of the book go to the next or previous entry. I found this a little awkward to get used to, as most of this text extends beyond the visible page. I found myself clicking these arrows to read more of the biography rather than clicking the up/down arrows that appear in the middle of the right margin to scroll the page.
As Michelangelo merits more coverage than the brief biographies presented in the Chief Figures section, he gets his own section that includes multimedia slide shows of the various stages of his life and career. Another section, History, offers a history of the construction and decoration of the chapel; an essay on its historical and religious meaning; a video excerpt of Pope Paul VI’s address inaugurating the restoration of the chapel; a video excerpt of Pope John Paul II’s address on April 8, 1994 announcing the completion of the restoration; a brief excerpt of an interview with Gianluigi Colalucca, the restorer in charge of the restoration; and a “Scientific Lab” entry that explains some of the challenges of and techniques used in the restoration.
Other sections include “Bible” which gives the biblical passages that inspired the illustrations in the chapel, a glossary, and “Cycles” which provides brief essays on the various cycles of paintings. This is where I expected to find most of the information about the frescoes. However, the articles are brief, giving an overview of the chapel and how the various paintings relate to each other thematically. Many of the pages also have brief video clips. The essays include images of some of the frescoes; but they cannot be magnified here. A question mark icon prompts to go to the Personalities section to do this.
The Personalities section is really the heart of this title. Here, the visitor can virtually climb the walls of the chapel to examine the frescoes. The screen divides into three sections. One window shows the layout of the chapel, facing the altar and the Last Judgement. A directional icon lets one turn around to view the rear. Clicking on one of the walls opens a second window showing the entire wall or section of the chapel. Selecting one of the frescoes displays it in the viewing window with a brief commentary beneath it. A panel on the lower right offers options to view the commentary, the biblical quotation which inspired the painting, criticism, or the index. The criticism button seems superfluous as it provides the same information as the commentary button.
Clicking on a magnifying glass icon will place a red square on the image in the viewing window and display an enlarged view of the portion in the square in the window on the right. You can move the red square around the image to select any desired portion for viewing. Unfortunately, computer monitors are too small to view such magnificent paintings in as fine detail as we would like. A book can still to this better. Fabrizio Mancinelli’s The Sistine Chapel, for example, includes pictures of the frescoes of the ceiling before and after the restoration with many close‐ups that even reveal Michelangelo’s charcoal marks and brush strokes. However, this two‐volume set was priced at $800 when it was published in 1991.
Most guidebooks focus on the art and history of the chapel. This disc also focuses on the underlying theology, providing a fuller understanding of the whole and how the various parts fit together. The Sistine Choir sings Gregorian chant a capella throughout the disc, making its use almost a religious experience.
Despite the disc’s majesty, there are a few blemishes we should point out. After viewing the introductory video, it would be nice to be able to bypass it on subsequent use. Transitions can sometimes be slow because of the intensity of multimedia activity. A button on the navigation bar labeled “Diary” kept producing a “type mismatch” message, forcing a reboot of the computer. It would also be nice to be able view the chapel over the time period of its decoration to see how it developed through its various stages.
The Sistine Chapel is the highlight of any visit to the Vatican Museums; but there are so many treasures here that most visitors can only afford the time to see the highlights or to spend a few minutes at the major attractions. Michelangelo’s ceiling and Last Judgement command the attention of visitors to the chapel. In the presence of such masterpieces, few pay attention to the masterpieces by Ghirlandaio, Botticelli, Signorelli, Perugino, and Pinturicchi which also adorn the walls. While it does not produce the awe of seeing the chapel in person, it comes pretty close. It does, however, offer the virtual visitor an experience that the tourist cannot enjoy ‐ viewing all the frescoes at leisure without jostling from the crowds.
The Sistine Chapel is a finely crafted disc that will present many hours of enjoyment and learning. It comes in English, French, Italian, Spanish, and German editions. It provides an excellent preparation for a visit to the Vatican and a good souvenir. Art and theology students can use it to good advantage also. At $29.95, this disc is a steal. Together with EMME Interactive’s other CD‐ROMs, Raphael: An Artist for the Vatican and The Vatican: The Painting Gallery, the armchair traveler can experience most of the major attractions of the Vatican Museums.
