Madonna and Child with the Infant Baptist 1505

Michelangelo carved this marble relief, "Madonna and Child with the Infant Baptist," sometime in the first decade of the 16th century. Marble, of course, is quarried from the earth and then shaped with chisels, rasps, and files. Notice how Michelangelo left some areas of the marble relatively rough, while others are highly polished. Look closely at the background, where the marks of the artist’s tools are still visible. These roughly worked surfaces contrast dramatically with the smooth skin of the Madonna and children. The artist has left his mark, quite literally, and that is important because his artistic genius and skill are essential to the value of the work. This was a laborious process, involving not just design, but also physical effort. Michelangelo wanted us to appreciate the effort he put in, the sheer amount of work it took to liberate these figures from the stone. In doing so, he elevated the status of sculpture as something more than just a craft.