Crucifixion of St. Peter by Michelangelo Buonarroti

Crucifixion of St. Peter by Michelangelo Buonarroti

The Crucifixion of St. Peter was the last painting by Michelangelo. Peter was sentenced to death in Rome in approximately 64 AD, during the reign of Emperor Nero, an ardent persecutor of Christians.

The apostle asked him to crucify himself with his head down, believing that he was not worthy to accept the same death as Christ. This circumstance made life difficult for many artists, since the figure depicted by Peter crucified upside down often looked somewhat comical.

Michelangelo brilliantly solved this problem by showing Peter before the erection of the cross. The massive figure of the saint forms the center of the composition, while the other figures are arranged as if they stand along the rim of a giant, inexorably rotating wheel.

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)