To see a scorned, beaten, and crucified man, lying dead in the arms of his mother is an image, which can inspire overwhelming emotions within the heart of an observer. Yet, for the longest time I've had such difficulty looking at Michelangelo's art in this way. To me, art has never been about expressing oneself or conveying a message to others, but simply creating an image for the sake of beauty and perfection. When I look at Michelangelo's art I see a cold, solid mass of marble carved by the skilled hands of a master, Rather than this work of great beauty, capable of eliciting a deeply emotional response. I look at it in terms of the techniques Michelangelo used the understanding he had of the hu