This paper argues that Donatello is a true renaissance artist by evaluating his art, life, and time that he lived.
One reason that Donatello was proven a true renaissance artist was by his life and the way he lived it. Born in Florence, 1386 Donatello was the son of Niccolo di Betto Bardi who was a member of the Florentine Wool Combers Guild. This gave young Donatello status as the son of a craftsman and placed him on a path of working in the trades. Donatello was educated in the house of the Martelli family, one of the wealthiest Florentine families at that time. It is said that he received his early artistic training in a goldsmith’s workshop, then went on to work shortly in the studio of the well known artist Lorenzo Ghiberti. Before he was 20, he was receiving commissions for his work. "Donatello Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 09 Feb. 2014.
During his time working with Lorenzo, Donatello received his first payment in November 1406 for assisting Lorenzo in the sculpting of the statues of prophets for the north door of the Florence Baptistery. He executed the seated figure of St. John the Evangelist in 1409-1411, it was so big it took him two years to finish and until 1588 occupied a niche of the old cathedral facade but now resides in Museo dell'Opera del Duomo. A large step was taken forward from Gothic Mannerism in the search for naturalism rendering of human feelings.
Donatello then worked on statues for churches, starting with the statue of St. Mark for the Guild Church of Orsanmichele in 1411-1413. Then a few years later in 1417 he completed the statue of St. George for the Confraternity of the Cuirass-makers. The St. George and the Dragon relief on the statue’ base is one of the first example...
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... Donatello's desire to craft a lithe, graceful youth in a stance of celebration and triumph. "David." Artble: The Home of Passionate Art Lovers. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.
In 1430 a well known art patron of that era named Cosimo de Medici bought the Bronze David from Donatello for the court of his Palazzo Medici. This statue now sits in the Bargello Museum in Florence, for all to come by and see the excellent work of this great artist
By evaluating all my research I have come to the conclusion that Donatello is a true renaissance artist because he lived at the time of the renaissance and created a work of art that changed the way everyone of that time looked at art, and challenged them to accept something different and new.
So in conclusion this paper argues that Donatello is a true renaissance artist by evaluating his art, life, and time that he lived.
Giovanni Pietro Rizzoli also known as Giampietrino spent the vast majority of his known career developing drawings and paintings of nude women from roman mythology under the leadership of the great Leonardo Da Vinci. Under the influential scope of Leonardo, Giampietrino replicated myriad artworks of leonardo’s displaying the importance of honoring the great artists of the late fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, especially those such as Leonardo who remain a significant figure in the discourse of the canon of art in contemporary art society. Although he developed his own techniques and manipulations to refine his own work and bring forth a change in the development of the renaissance and baroque style of art, Giampietrino closely followed the methods taught in the Lombard school of art and those of his mentor Leonardo Da Vinci. Giampietrino’s similar style of painting to Leonardo can cogently be seen in his painting Lucretia and a plethora of other paintings, which convey the influence of the Lombard school from the incorporated formal elements such as color, form, content, and subjec...
A little over 6 feet of marble, Donatello’s first version of David was one of his earliest known commisions that mark the beginning of his artistic career. He was commissioned by the Operai of the cathedral of Florence to create a David statue to decorate one of the buttresses. The statue ended up looking too small when placed high up, so it was taken down and later requested to be displayed in Palazzo Vecchio, the town hall. Many historians dismiss his first version of David, calling this piece unoriginal and nothing to praise.
In conclusion of this research paper I believed I have gained a new and better appreciation of renaissance art. The period of great revolutions in art form and style is now one of my great favorites of all time. The Artsist that now has become a hero to me is Michelangelo. The Sistine chapel is a truly a place of great importance to art all around the world. While dissecting and analyzing the fresco it has been easier to see the crossing of disciplines. The great detail has been applied to sculpting stone has intern help the hand and brush to reveal the beauty of the human body.
A rediscover of their history and recognition of early Greek philosophers changed the way that the influential families and Princes, in Italy, considered themselves. Their way of thinking of the Devine and need to promote one’s own aspirations through sponsorship of the arts, as well as, civic duty became not only fashionable but important to progress in the city states. Although Donatello’s David and Botticelli’s Primavera are master pieces in their own right, their influence on future generations of artists cannot be ignored. The spark that ignited the fire which we call the Renaissance was a transformation of societies thinking and values to a Humanistic approach to one duties to society and the church. These two works are a reflection of the changing attitudes which would eventually change all of
Hartt, Frederick, and David G. Wilkins. History of Italian Renaissance art . 6th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2006.
A good deal is known about Donatello's life and career, but little is known about his character. Donatello was born in Florence, Italy in 1386 and died in 1466; he was never married and had no children. He was a master of sculpture in bronze and marble and is considered to be one of the greatest Italian Renaissance artists of his time. The first sculpture is of Donatello?s David, 1425-1430. Its material is bronze and stands 5? 2 ¼? and is currently located at Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence. The sculpture is a nude and is contrapposto. The scene being depicted is after the clash with Goliath. Donatello?s statue of David was the first large scale, free-standing nude statue of the Renaissance. The sculpture helps to strike a balance between classicism and the realism by presenting a very real image of a boy in the form of a classical nude figure. Although Donatello was inspir...
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned the period from the 14th to 17th century. The purpose of The Renaissance was to “rebirth”. The Renaissance period was to gain knowledge and explore more about life,science,literature and music. Two figures that impacted this period in numerous ways were Johannes Gutenberg and Donatello. Donatello was an early renaissance Italian sculptor who lived in florence. Johannes Gutenberg was a printer and publisher who introduced printing to Europe. These two figures had effects on Science/Technology, effects on art, and effects on culture/society. Donatello and Johannes Gutenberg are two figures with opposing views that profoundly challenged and shaped political thought. However, Johannes Gutenberg's contributions to political theory have stood the test of time and continue to shape to contemporary world.
Johnson, Geraldine A. Renaissance Art, A Very Short Introduction. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
Donatello’s real name is Donato di Niccolo di Betto Bardi (1386-1466). Donatello was a master of sculpture in bronze and marble and was one of the greatest Italian Renaissance artists of his time. A lot is known about his life and career but little is known about his character and personality. He never married and seems to be a man of simple tastes. Patrons often found him hard to deal with and he demanded a lot of artistic freedom. The inscriptions and signatures on his works are among the earliest examples of classical Roman lettering. He had a more detailed range of knowledge of ancient sculpture than any other artist of his time. His work was inspired by ancient visual examples which he often transformed, he was really viewed as a realist but later research showed he was much more.
In Donatello’s lifetime he had many accomplishments weather it was sculpting or just huge achievements. Donatello sent a while on his famous sculptor, Saint George, which was sculpted from 1416 to about 1420(ward par 2, 3, 4). 1428 was when the town put up a ancient Roman Pillar in the market place and that they asked him to make a statue because they believed he was the best sculptor(Morley 13,18). One of the monuments he created was Padua and he created that between 1443 and 1453. A well know sculptor of his was the statue Zuccone which people say showed the effective use of realism(Ward par 2,3,4).
Much of the art created during the Renaissance was geared toward religion, and with Michelangelo this was no exception. By th...
One of the ways he did this was by crafting a lot of works: “The world remained so full of his works, that it may be affirmed right truly that no craftsmen ever worked more than he did.” (377) Vasari praises Donatello’s various works throughout the biography. The collection of works that Vasari mentions, suggests that Donatello was more than just a sculptor because he produced and sold many designs. This was similar to a baker or merchant in Renaissance Florence that was constantly selling his or her own product to others. Furthermore, Donatello’s many works were studied and praised by future Renaissance artists. One of the most influential and well known is Michelangelo Buonarroti. At the end of the biography, Vasari leaves the reader with an intriguing quote by Don Vincenzo Borghini that Borghini stated in a book where he collected drawings from esteemed artists. Borghini states that “Either the spirit of Donato works in Buonarroto, or that of Buonarotto began by working in Donato.” (378). Donatello also had other students such as Bertoldo who “he left all his work to be completed by” (377). Donatello inspired and had other students work under him and taught them his craft. Therefore, Donatello inspired Michelangelo and other artists that became famous and excellent artists in their own right. This shows that Donatello left a lasting
The Italian Renaissance and the Baroque era are two major periods in art history, some of the types of art in those periods were painting, sculpting, and architecture. During these periods, many artist gained enormous fame from creating wonderful pieces of work that represented their beliefs and artistic thinking. This essay will analyze and evaluate two pieces from those major art periods. Rembrandt 's painting The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp and the sculpture David, by Michelangelo. These two masterpieces shed light of their significance in art history. David represents the Italian Renaissance for it being a strong symbol of the new republic, The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp depicts the focus on human progression.
colonnades, a row of columns supporting the roof. The faced, which is a space in
Lorenzo De Medici can be considered as one of the most influential men of the 13th century. His work in political affairs and administration were renowned in all Italy and his family could count on him in every aspect. Lorenzo was also a promoter of a new period called Renaissance. He was one of the first “mecenate” to explore this new way of art. In this project, I will concentrate how he developed art in Florence, giving a clear example through an Artist of that period that was working for him: Sandro Botticelli. His work “The Spring” is a well-defined example of what we can call “art in the Renaissance”, in particular for the Italian Renaissance.