Michelangelo finished The Last Judgment in 1541. The monumental fresco covers the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City.
Michelangelo worked on the fresco for more than four years, from 1536 until 1541. Preparation of the altar wall began earlier, in 1535, and the commission was first associated with Pope Clement VII before being carried forward under Pope Paul III. Michelangelo was nearly 67 when he completed it.
The composition depicts the Second Coming of Christ and the final judgment of humanity. Christ dominates the center, surrounded by saints, while the saved rise on one side and the damned descend toward punishment on the other. The work contains more than 300 figures and is much more centered on the human body than on architectural perspective.
The fresco caused controversy almost immediately because many figures were shown nude. After Michelangelo’s death, some nudity was covered by painted draperies, especially during the Counter-Reformation. Later restoration revealed much of the fresco’s original color and detail.