Michelangelo’s sixteenth-century Sistine Chapel

Answer choices

1. A

   Correct65% picked this

   The restorers believe that da Volterra stripped away all previous layers of paint before he painted his own

   Why this is right

   Well, this was a surprising answer. We expect to be surprised on Paradox, so we don't want to get too attached to any prediction we have. The reason they're not removing da Volterra's additions is that there isn't any of Michelangelo's paint underneath them. In all the other spots, if they remove the layer of paint that a painter added after Michelangelo was done, then they can reveal the layer of paint beneath that Michelangelo had painted. But da Volterra removed all paint before he added his layer, so if they remove da Volterra's they'll just get bare wall/ceiling, which would not be a good look for the overall mural. We would see Michelangelo's original work with a few blank holes from where we stripped away da Volterra's paint. This answer is suggesting that all the other painted additions were painted on top of a layer of Michelangelo's painting, whereas da Volterra's additions were painted on blank wall.

   Skill tested: Paradox · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

   65%
2. B

   Doesn't Reconcile with Goal7% picked this

   Because da Volterra used a type of pigment that is especially sensitive to light, the additions to the Sistine Chapel that da

   So what if he used more muted colors than others? Our goal was to see what Michelangelo painted. So shouldn't we be removing da Volterra's paint so that we can see colors Michelangelo chose underneatH?

   7%
3. C

   Too Weak23% picked this

   Da Volterra’s additions were painted in a style that was similar to the style

   Maybe a bunch of the later painters painted in a style that was similar to Michelangelo's. It seems likely that any painter adding to Michelangelo's work would try to blend in with it. This doesn't seem to clearly set da Volterra apart from others, and it seems like if our goal is to see what Michelangelo actually did, we would still want to drip away da Volterra's additions, even if they are similar.

   23%
4. D

   No Impact1% picked this

   Michelangelo is famous primarily for his sculptures and only secondarily for his paintings, whereas da Volterra is known

   It doesn't matter if we even say that da Volterra was better at painting than Michelangelo was. Our goal is to uncover Michelangelo's original work (not necessarily because it's better than what got added, but just because we want to understand clearly what his original finished work looked like). If the goal were to have "the best version of the Sistine Chapel paintings", then maybe we would consider leaving some painters' additions on there if they seemed like improvements. But given our goal, this answer doesn't give us any reason to leave da Volterra's additions on there.

   1%
5. E

   Opposite4% picked this

   Da Volterra’s work is considered by certain art historians to be just as valuable as the work of some of the other artists

   We're looking for something that would set da Volterra's work apart from those of the other painters, whose additions we are definitely removing. This answer makes them seem more similar.

   4%