\paperw4995 \margr0\margl0 \plain \fs20 \f1 The Holy Family, which is seated in the foreground, is treated by Michelangelo as if it were a sculptural group whose muscular forms are ar
ranged in a spiral, with a rich pattern of contrasting movements.\par
A continuous tension runs through the bodies, while the light imparts an iridescence to the abstract colors of their clothing.\par
The figures are all turned to emphasize the ceremon
ious presentation of the Child to Mary. This rotational movement extends into the surrounding space and is maintained first in the low wall that delimits the foreground and then in the concave ridge of rock, against which the nude figures are leaning.
\par
The half-concealed landscape behind is made up of roughly-sketched and compact masses of color.\par
In this work the traditional theme of the Holy Family is renewed by the inclusion of the nude figures in the background, in whose attitudes scholars h
ave recognized precise references to ancient statuary.\par
They appear to represent pagan humanity, still ignorant of the Christian message embodied by the Infant Jesus.\par
The young St. John, who is peering over the low wall and looking at the divine
group, symbolizes the passage between paganism and the Judeo-Christian world.
