<P> The work commenced at the end of the building furthest from the altar, with the latest of the narrative scenes, and progressed towards the altar with the scenes of the Creation . The first three scenes, from the story of Noah, contain a much larger number of small figures than the later panels . This is partly because of the subject matter, which deals with the fate of Humanity, but also because all the figures at that end of the ceiling, including the prophets and Ignudi, are smaller than in the central section . As the scale got larger, Michelangelo's style became broader, the final narrative scene of God in the act of Creation was painted in a single day . </P> <P> The bright colours and broad, cleanly defined outlines make each subject easily visible from the floor . Despite the height of the ceiling, the proportions of the Creation of Adam are such that when standing beneath it, "it appears as if the viewer could simply raise a finger and meet those of God and Adam". Vasari tells us that the ceiling is "unfinished", that its unveiling occurred before it could be reworked with gold leaf and vivid blue lapis lazuli as was customary with frescoes and in order to better link the ceiling with the walls below it which were highlighted with a great deal of gold . But this never took place, in part because Michelangelo was reluctant to set up the scaffolding again, and probably also because the gold and particularly the intense blue would have distracted from his painterly conception . </P> <P> Some areas were, in fact, decorated with gold: the shields between the Ignudi and the columns between the Prophets and Sibyls . It seems very likely that the gilding of the shields was part of Michelangelo's original scheme, since they are painted to resemble a certain type of parade shield, a number of which still exist and are decorated in a similar style with gold . </P> <P> Section reference . </P>

What is the value of the sistine chapel