Artist: Michelangelo- Sistine Chapel
between 1571 and 1572
The Resurrection of Christ occupies the lower left portion of the Sistine Chapel's Entrance Wall. The original fresco, painted by Domenico Ghirlandaio during the chapel's decoration in the 1480s, was destroyed in 1522 when the stone architrave above the entrance collapsed. Hendrick van den Broeck, a Flemish painter working in Italy, was commissioned to replace the lost painting during the pontificate of Pope Gregory XIII (1572–1585).
The replacement preserved the original subject and its position as the concluding scene of the chapel's New Testament narrative. Together with the opposing fresco depicting the dispute over Moses' body, it completes the parallel biblical histories presented along the chapel's walls.
The fresco depicts the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the central event of the Christian faith. According to Matthew 28:1–8, women visiting Jesus' tomb encountered an angel who announced that Jesus had risen from the dead. The guards were overcome with fear, while the women departed to tell the disciples.
The resurrection confirms Jesus' victory over death and fulfills His predictions that He would rise on the third day. It also establishes the foundation of the Christian proclamation that salvation and eternal life are made possible through Christ. Paul emphasized its importance in 1 Corinthians 15:14–20, declaring that without the resurrection, Christian faith would be empty.
Van den Broeck presents the risen Christ emerging triumphantly above the tomb, surrounded by heavenly light. His elevated figure dominates the composition, while the soldiers below react with fear, astonishment, and confusion. The contrast between Christ's calm authority and the disorder among the guards emphasizes the supernatural character of the event.
The painting reflects the more dramatic artistic style of the later sixteenth century, differing from the balanced compositions of the chapel's original Renaissance frescoes. Nevertheless, it maintains the larger decorative program by completing the sequence of Christ's life that begins on the North Wall.