Michelangelo's Holy Family

     Ron gave thoughtful reflections on the famous Holy Family, One of Michelangelo's only paintings (most of his work is sculpture or fresco).  This one was commissioned by a Florentine to hang in his home.  Unusual for Michelangelo.
     Why are there classical nude figures in the background?  Scholars suggest that the nude figures represent the world before Christ.  Then, the figure on the front right of the background is the young John the Baptist, heralding the Messiah.
   Then, the gray lintel is--strangely--all over Florence.  It is even in the Uffizzi--the demarkation of one space as separate from another.  Then, the Holy Family represents the new era for humanity.  Joseph is placing Christ on Mary's shoulder, and she is giving him to the world.  The whole painting can thus be seen as temporal, telling story through time.