Final answer:
The Sistine Chapel took four years to paint, with Michelangelo working on it from 1508 to 1512. He painted the ceiling in sections, covering small areas in wet plaster and revealing the final image after it dried. The completion of the Sistine Chapel marked a significant milestone in the history of art.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Sistine Chapel took four years to paint.
Michelangelo began the work in 1508, drawing figures and preparing the ceiling for the frescoes. He covered a small section of the ceiling in plaster and then painted it into the wet plaster, which dried in a few days, revealing the final image. Over and over again, Michelangelo painted as he moved slowly down the ceiling, spending four long years on the scaffolding until he completed the most iconic ceiling fresco in the world.
Michelangelo completed the Sistine Chapel in 1512, and its importance in the history of art cannot be overstated.