The composition
Christ stands at the centre, surrounded by saints, as the blessed rise toward heaven and the damned are pulled down toward hell in a single, swirling composition — a dramatic departure from the ordered calm of the ceiling above.
A hidden self-portrait
Among the damned, St. Bartholomew holds his own flayed skin — and the twisted face on that skin is widely read by scholars as a self-portrait of Michelangelo, a haunting comment on mortality from an artist in his sixties.
The nudity controversy
The fresco's extensive nudity drew objections from Church officials even before it was finished — the papal master of ceremonies, Biagio da Cesena, complained and was reportedly repainted by Michelangelo as Minos, judge of the underworld, with donkey ears. After Michelangelo's death, the Council of Trent ordered some figures covered; painter Daniele da Volterra added the discreet loincloths, earning the nickname "Il Braghettone" — "the breeches-maker."
