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Renaissance: The Blood and the Beauty
The Magnificence of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel Ceiling
After four long years, Michelangelo finally unveils the completed Sistine Chapel ceiling. The Chapel's ceiling is roughly 600 square meters, nearly the size of three tennis courts; a monumental task that Michelangelo painted almost entirely by himself. While Pope Julius II is thrilled with the finished product, four years of backbreaking labor leaves Michelangelo broken and questioning his faith.
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54:12
Michelangelo battles Raphael for Papal favor as violent religious schisms engulf Europe.
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53:56
Fierce rivalry between Michelangelo and Leonardo is heightened by the arrival of Raphael.
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53:15
Michelangelo and Leonardo struggle to win work in the brutal world of Renaissance Italy.