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The Sistine Chapel ceilings should be preserved because it is a reminder and visual of the Creation of man. The Sistine Chapel Ceiling  (Creation of Adam and Last Judgment), was created by Michelangelo Buonarroti when Pope Julius II commissioned him to repaint the ceiling in 1508.The works of art located on The Sistine Chapel Ceiling tells nine stories from the first book of the bible, Genesis. The Creation of Adam, the most famous, has been replicated and mass produced in almost every culture. The Sistine Chapel Ceiling remains a masterpiece and has inspired many of its visitors throughout history. Along the central section of the ceiling, Michelangelo depicted nine scenes from the Book of Genesis, the first book of the Bible. Williams E. Wallace states, the pictures fall into three groups of three alternating large and small panels:

The first group shows God creating the Heavens and the Earth. The second group shows God creating the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, and their disobedience of God and consequent expulsion from the Garden of Eden where they have lived and where they walked with God The third group of three pictures shows the plight of Humanity, and in particular the family of Noah. Visually the pictures are not in strictly chronological order (30).

Wallace says, if they are perceived as three groups, then the pictures in each of the three units inform upon each other, in the same way as was usual in Medieval paintings and stained glass (Wallace 31). Wallace interjects; the three sections of Creation, Downfall and Fate of Humanity appear in reverse order, when read from the entrance of the chapel. However, each individual scene is painted to be viewed when looking towards the altar (Wallace, 30). This is not easily apparent when viewing a reproduced image of the ceiling, but becomes clear when the viewer looks upward at the vault. Paoletti and Radke suggest that this reversed progression symbolizes a return to a state of grace (qtd. in Wallace 30). Wallace says the three sections are generally described in the order of Biblical chronology:

The scenes, from the altar towards the main door, are ordered as follows: The Separation of Light and Darkness, The Creation of the Sun, Moon and Earth, The Separation of Land and Water, The Creation of Adam, The Creation of Eve, The Temptation and Expulsion, The Sacrifice of Noah, The Great Flood, and The Drunkenness of Noah. This monumental fresco covers the entire end wall of the chapel which led the obliteration of the frescoes painted at the time of Sixtus IV: the first figures of the popes, the first two scenes of the life of Christ and life of Moses, the image of the Virgin of Assumption (by Perugino), together with the first two lunettes, representing the Ancestors of Christ were frescoed earlier by Michelangelo himself. The two large windows set into the altar wall were closed up (31).

A historical time line taken from The Encyclopædia Britannica states:

During the early years before the creation of the Sistine chapel in 1494 Charles VIII of France (r. 1483–98) invaded Italy and seized Naples, launching the “Italian Wars”. This war involved a series of military conflicts between rival European powers—particularly France and Spain—for the takeover of several Italian city-states. In 1497 Michelangelo perhaps the outstanding painter, sculptor, architect, and draftsman of his time was active in Rome, having left Florence after the expulsion of the Medici in 1494. He receives a commission for the tomb of a French cardinal at Saint Peter's Basilica, for which he executes the Pietà, a life size sculpture depicting the dead Christ in his mother's arms. The masterful rendering of the human form and the flowing drapery of the Virgin's garment, as well as the combined dignity and emotional intensity of this work earn much praise from the artist's contemporaries. After completing the Pietà, Michelangelo returns to Florence, where he produces the colossal David which is completed 1504 (“Michelangelo,” <span style="text-decoration: underline">Encyclopædia Britannica</span>).

In 1503 Giuliano della Rovere is elected Pope Julius II (r. 1503–13). An outstanding patron, Julius commissions some of the finest landmarks of Renaissance art. Shortly after his election, he plans to replace the extant Saint Peter's Basilica with a new structure. A central-plan church of potential magnificence, designed by Bramante, is begun in 1506; construction is barely underway when the architect dies in 1514. In 1505, Michelangelo returns to Rome and undertakes a monumental tomb design for Pope Julius II. Due to various complications, the scale of the project is dramatically reduced over time, and of the forty over-life size figures planned by Michelangelo for the tomb, only the statue of Moses (1513–15; now Church of San Pietro in Vincoli) is fully realized. Also originally intended for the tomb are several figures of slaves, some half-finished. The tomb would remain incomplete until 1547 (“Michelangelo,” Encyclopædia Britannica).

In 1508, Luca Signorelli (1441–1523) completes the fresco cycle on the walls of the Sistine Chapel. In the same year, Julius II summons Michelangelo from a sojourn in Florence to paint ceiling frescoes for the chapel. The complex program, painted over the next four years, includes scenes from the Book of Genesis—notably, the creation of man and the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden—as well as figures of apostles, prophets, and sibyls. More than twenty years later, Michelangelo returns to the chapel and paints the Last Judgment (1536–41) for the apse wall. The Sistine Chapel ceilings, enormous fresco, presents a vivid, turbulent vision of the ecstasy of the saved and the torments of the damned was painted over the altar, at the commission of Pope Paul III Farnese (“Michelangelo,” Encyclopædia Britannica).

According to Gloria Fiero:

A significant archeological event influenced Michelangelo's treatment of the figure after 1506: in that year, diggers working in Rome uncovered the Laocoön, the celebrated Hellenistic sculpture that had been known to Western scholars only by way of the Roman writer, Pliny. The sculpture with its bold contortions and its powerfully rendered anatomy had as great an impact on Michelangelo and the course of High Renaissance art as Cicero's prose had exercised on Petrarch and Early Renaissance literature. Michelangelo’s work, completed between 1508 and 1512, was cohesive with the times; indeed, the twisted torsos, taut muscles, and stretched physiques of the Sistine Chapel figures (ch.17).

Julie L. Carnagie, Peggy Saari, and Aaron Saari state, the work of the Sistine Chapel ceilings suffered numerous setbacks, such as mold and miserable, damp weather that disallowed plaster curing. A primary cause of downtime occurred when Julius was off waging a war, or ill to the point that Last Rites were administered. The ceiling project, and any hope Michelangelo had of being paid, were both frequently in jeopardy while Julius was absent or near death (234).

Wallace says, while much of the symbolism of the ceiling dates from the early church, the ceiling also has elements that express the specifically Renaissance thinking that sought to reconcile Christian theology with the philosophy of Renaissance Humanism. During the 15th century in Italy, and in Florence in particular, there was a strong interest in Classical literature and the philosophies of Plato, Socrates and other Classical writers. Michelangelo, as a young man, had spent time at the Humanist academy established by the Medici family in Florence (20).

According to Carnagie, P. Saari, and A. Saari:

The rediscovery of Greco-Roman culture in the Renaissance restored the nude to the heart of creative endeavor. Nude figures based on antique models appear in Italy as early as the mid-thirteenth century, and by the mid-fifteenth century, nudes had become symbols of antiquity and its reincarnation. This work of art being massively large in statue was very unusual, but for Michelangelo this combination of throbbing life with colossal grandeur became the special quality of Michelangelo's art. From then on his work consisted mainly of very large innovative projects. Because he preferred to work on a grand scale, however, he could not turn down commissions from great clients (235).

At all times in human history, the human body has been one of the principal subjects for artists. It has been represented on prehistoric paintings and statutes and in all eras since. The male nude was more common in antiquity, especially in ancient Greece, but today the tendency is for the female nude body to be more highly regarded and represented (Carnagie, P. Saari, and A. Saari 235).Wallace implies, since the first days of photography, the nude was a source of inspiration for those that adopted the new medium. Most of the early images have been closely guarded or surreptitiously circulated, on account of social norms of the time. At that time, prostitutes tended to model for these photographs (42). Today, the images of the human body are often, especially in advertising for the wide variety of products and services, those of the female body.

The Sistine Chapel ceilings are thought of as a thing of beauty. Many Christian believers that journey to the Vatican Chapel are inspired by its magnificent creativity and magnitude. The reception of today verses that of yester year varies little some individuals feel that nudity has no place in the church but others feel that this is where it all began with the Creation of Man. The Chapel is seen as the sacred vessel in which it is and proper attire is required to gain admission. Various websites urge tourists and visitors to arrive early to avoid the long lines that tend to occur due to many the marvel at the work of art. There are hundreds of tourists visiting the Chapel and other Vatican Museums at any given time, so one could easily see overcrowding while visiting.

My personal reaction to this work is that it is a masterpiece. In a world where nudity is seen as a form of taboo in Michelangelo’s era the human anatomy was beautiful. Every line of the human anatomy in his art told a story whether it was stress or joy it stood for something. According to Fiero:

In the Creation of Adam, God and Man equal in size and muscular grace confront each other like partners in the divine plan. Adam reaches longingly toward God, seeking the moment of fulfillment, when God will charge his languid body with celestial energy. If the image depicts Creation, it is also a metaphor for the Renaissance belief in the potential divinity of humankind—the visual analogue of Pico's Oration on the Dignity of Man (ch.17).

I believe, nothing in this work is taken out of context or taken to the extreme the visual focus is on the entire work not the nudity. In The Bible nudity in the beginning was norm until the “Fall of Man”, it was then that we as humans began to desire the need for coverings or clothes.

Michelangelo, who is known for his creativity like the paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, has other works that are comparable or that supersede others. One that he is best known for is the sculpture of David. This tall towering marble sculpture also embodies the sheer inspiration the Michelangelo felt for the human body as does the fresco ceiling paintings. Michelangelo was a master sculptor and painter. Biography taken from a How stuff works.com article states that:

Michelangelo was inspired by the works of antiquity and his own religious faith, Michelangelo created some of the most remarkable sculptures in history. His obsession with physical beauty and the nude male form influenced much of his work, and his sculptures, paintings, and buildings continue to inspire and awe art-lovers today (1).

The statue of David is typical of Michelangelo's work large and grand in statue. Like the Sistine Chapel ceilings the statue has been reproduced many times. Michelangelo’s David has become one of the most recognized works. The statue has become a symbol of both strength and youthful human beauty.

The Sistine Chapel ceiling artistry remains most significant for future generations, because it shows how the world was formed, how we came in to existence, and the downfall and final judgment of man. The preservation of the Sistine Chapel ceilings masterpiece will also give future generations hope and provide a guide to understand that God is all-knowing and omnipresent. Though you may not be able to see Him, God is there and the church will remain the structural center for all Christian believers.
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<p align="center">Works Cited</p>
"Michelangelo." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 04 Sep. 2012.

<span style="text-decoration: underline">http://www.britannica.com.lsproxy.austincc.edu/EBchecked/topic/379957/Michelangelo</span>

"Michelangelo"  21 August 2007.  HowStuffWorks.com. &lt;http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/arts/artwork/michelangelo.htm&gt;  22 September 2012.

"Michelangelo Buonarroti." Renaissance and Reformation Reference Library. Ed. Julie L. Carnagie, Peggy Saari, and Aaron Saari. Vol. 4: Vol. 2: Biographies. Detroit: UXL, 2002. 232-241. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 30 Aug. 2012.

<a href="http://go.galegroup.com.lsproxy.austincc.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3426300080&amp;v=2.1&amp;u=txshracd2487&amp;it=r&amp;p=GVRL&amp;sw=w">http://go.galegroup.com.lsproxy.austincc.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3426300080&amp;v=2.1&amp;u=txshracd2487&amp;it=r&amp;p=GVRL&amp;sw=w</a>

Wallace, William E.. Michelangelo : The Artist, the Man and his Times. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011. Ebook Library. Web. 30 Aug. 2012.

<a href="http://www.austincc.eblib.com.lsproxy.austincc.edu/patron/FullRecord.aspx?p=803215">http://www.austincc.eblib.com.lsproxy.austincc.edu/patron/FullRecord.aspx?p=803215</a>