MICHELANGELO Buonarroti
(b. 1475, Caprese, d. 1564, Roma)

St Matthew (detail)

1503
Marble
Galleria dell'Accademia, Florence

As soon as a block of marble such as this gives the impression that an artist has seen a human form within its confines, we are instilled with the thought that this human being is slumbering there, waiting to be awakened.