In terms of its construction, the Sistine Chapel is a relatively simple style similar to other Italian chapels built during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. For instance, it contains very little design or ornaments on the outside walls. Again, this was not uncommon for architecture from the timeframe of the Renaissance in Italy. However, the Sistine Chapel is best known today for the many famous paintings on the inside.
The earliest frescos (mural paintings on freshly plastered walls) from the Sistine Chapel were completed on the side interior walls. Several prominent Renaissance artists were hired to complete these frescos on the inside of the chapel, including Sandro Botticelli, Pietro Perugino, Pinturicchio, Domenico Ghirlandaio, and Cosimo Rosselli. These sidewalls contain three tiers, and each depicts different aspects of Christianity at the time, including different popes, the life of Moses, and the Life of Christ. However, the Sistine Chapel is known widely today for the famous paintings on its ceiling.
Famous Renaissance artist Michelangelo was commissioned by Pope Julius II to complete the frescos on the ceiling of the chapel. He is remembered today as one of the most influential painters and artists of the European Renaissance and is credited with some of the most profound and influential art pieces in all human history. As such, some historians consider him to be a 'Renaissance Man' along with other influential artists such as Leonardo da Vinci. One of the works that Michelangelo is most famous for is the painting of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel which he completed from 1508 to 1512. At the time, he was still working on the tomb for Pope Julius II but took on the painting in the chapel as a side task.
The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel has gone on to be one of his greatest and most recognized artistic accomplishments.