This lecture analyzes Michelangelo's artistic production in Florence, isolating his achievements as a sculptor and architect leading up to and during the turbulent years of the Medici Popes. The session focuses on David and the Prisoners, exploring his Neoplatonic theory of liberating the figure from the stone. Discussion also covers the New Sacristy (Medici Chapels) and the Laurentian Library, examining how he subverted classical architectural rules to create spaces of profound psychological tension.