This paper explains that
religious art during this period was an intensely social production and vision, a dialogue between
religious leaders such as Pope Julius II and artistic producers such as Michelangelo. Popes commissioned artistic works and inspired, guided, and checked the artist's individual vision. The author points out that Pope Julius II, who was as careful in planning as he was in his military achievements, enriched the landscape of Rome by adding many fine buildings to the city, including the Vatican Museum and art collection and the Sistine Chapel. The paper relates that the role of the artist was expanded rather than limited by the
patronage and commissions of the papacy, and rather than embodying narrow
religious ideals, Michelangelo and others were prodded to create works with expansive, complex renderings of Biblical figures as both human and divine in nature.