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Primary sourcePaintingbetween 1537 and 1541

Study for the Last Judgment

Michelangelo · between 1537 and 1541

A preparatory drawing by Michelangelo of nude figures, made while planning his fresco the Last Judgment.

A preparatory drawing by Michelangelo made while planning his fresco the Last Judgment.

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Red-chalk or sanguine drawing on yellowed paper showing a study of nude figures: a muscular nude body in a twisting pose with a head and arm turned, and a cluster of sketched heads and shoulders above, with loose hatching and faint outlines of other figures.
Michelangelo, Study for the Last Judgment, c. 1537-1541. Musée Bonnat, Bayonne.

About this source

What it is

This is a drawing by Michelangelo, made between 1537 and 1541, now held at the Musée Bonnat in Bayonne. It is a preparatory study showing nude figures in twisting poses, done in red chalk, created while Michelangelo was planning his large fresco the Last Judgment.

Why it matters

Preparatory drawings like this show how Michelangelo worked out poses and anatomy before committing them to a finished fresco. They reveal his deep study of the human body and his working process as an artist, offering insight into the planning behind one of his major religious works.

Look closer

  • Why would an artist make several studies of figures before painting a final fresco?
  • What does the twisting pose of the figure suggest about Michelangelo's interest in the human body?
  • What does this sketch show that the finished fresco might not?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Michelangelo Buonarroti on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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