I visited the Sistine Chapel post restoration. The colors seemed so bright, gaudy, compared to what I was expecting.
Also, it was small compared to what I thought it would be.
The stairs you go down when you leave are pretty small, too.
Indeed. Some art historians believe that Michelangelo actually used a black carbon wash to accentuate the deeper shadows and contrasts, and that the restoration removed that, leaving it unintentionally “gaudy”, as you saw it.
This is only speculation, because nobody knows what the artist really intended.
Perhaps a few centuries of incense and candles will help “restore” some of its former subtlety! LOL!