Fresco in de Sixtijnse Kapel te Vaticaanstad, voorstellende de profeet Ezechiël before 1907

This black and white photograph captures Michelangelo's fresco of the prophet Ezekiel in the Sistine Chapel. Imagine the artist up there on the scaffolding, day after day, applying pigment to wet plaster, each brushstroke a commitment. I wonder what Michelangelo was thinking about as he rendered Ezekiel's face—that furrowed brow, the weight of prophecy etched into his features. There's a tangible sense of presence, a gravity that resonates across centuries. Look at the way the folds of his robe cascade around him, solid and sculptural. I can almost feel the weight of the fabric. Michelangelo wasn't just painting a likeness; he was breathing life into the stone, wrestling with form and meaning in every stroke. We all do it, artists borrowing and building on what came before. We are constantly speaking to each other through our work. Painting is always in conversation.