Question

How long did it take Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel? Of all the brilliant works of art from that time period, I'm guessing that this must have been one of the most difficult things to do considering where the art is located. Are there any archives somewhere that contain footage of exactly how Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel, and what he had to go through in order to do this work?

Answer 1

It was a style of painting (I think you call it a fresco, but unfortunately I can't recall right now) that involved laying down fresh plaster, and then painting on the surface while it was still wet. whatever part of the ceiling was being painted had to be made in the 24-36 hour time span that the plaster stayed wet. It was often unpleasant grueling work. and yeah, he did do most of it on his back on scaffolding.
I'm not sure how much of the work he planned out, but Michelangelo was an extremely talented man who's always had a very good eye for mathematics, which I'm sure helped immensely with proportions.

I believe he worked on this for 5 years.

Answer 2

Several years. The work on the ceiling and upper-wall frescoes continued from 1508-1512. The "Last Judgment" on the altar wall was painted in the late 1530's to about 1541.

There are MANY books on the Sistine frescoes, including diagrams and information about the scaffolding Michelangelo and his assistants used. We know quite a bit about it. You would not be admitted to Vatican archives without a serious scholarly project to work on and a connection to a university. 

Documentary films have been made on the subject, some during the cleaning and restoration of the 1980's and 90's. You would have to locate companies that sell or rent these out.

The scaffolding used during the cleaning used the same anchoring holes used by Michelangelo's scaffold. Having been on that scaffolding during the cleaning, I can tell you that he and his assistants were not lying on their backs as they worked. The scaffolding was large, people could easily stand and walk around upright on it, and sit in elevated chairs. The main problem physically was having to lean back while painting.