ABSTRACT
Michelangelo Buonarroti, who died in Rome at age 88 after having carved marble only a few days prior, offered barely a handful of words during his long life about what he actually thought about the creative process. Among Michelangelos rather extensive archive of architectural drawings, one particular set, known as modani, offers initial clues into how the forza di levare may be traced in his architectural practices. In addition to articulating Michelangelos frontal method, Cellini also asserts that one should first trace the principle view onto block before cutting. A hidden figure enveloped by stone is captured in sketches by Michelangelo for his Dei Fluviali, reclining figure floats within the marmoreal confines of a large block. In comparing studies of the Dei Fluviali with those of architectural blocks, the traditional sixteenth-century distinction between lavoro di quadro and statuary stone work has been completely blurred, something already observed in resemblance between the Boboli Slaves and the frontal technique for cornice carvings.
