Compare And Contrast Donatello And Michelangelo

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The Renaissance era, an upbringing of new cultural ideas and innovations. People began to expand their knowledge on humanism, music, science, artistic and social innovations. During this time period, art had begun to play a significant role in society. Artists have not only received a commission for their works, but also the world-renown frame. Two artists who have become famous for their works during the Italian Renaissance are Donatello and Michelangelo. These artists have both depicted David, a biblical hero. David defeated the giant, known as Goliath, with the help of God, has been acknowledged as the icon for many republics, including the city of Florence (Harris and Zucker). Although the two artists are portraying the same character, …show more content…

The marble statue of David, which he created from 1501 to 1504, stands 434 centimeters (17 feet) tall, nearly three times the size of the human being. His thought when creating the statue is for the viewers to look up at David, and perceive him as the great warrior he was. Michelangelo had also added several characteristics of the human body that he is special for. In his artworks, Michelangelo portrayed many of his figures, including David, to be muscular. He developed a remarkable knowledge of the human body and how the muscles and the skeletal structure work together (Harris and Zucker). Michelangelo has illustrated the tightness in David’s skin and his tense muscles awaiting the giant. David is also shown, with his head and eyes turned to his left, looking into the vast horizon. Michelangelo has depicted David before the war, preparing mentally for the Goliath. Through his knowledge of naturalism, Michelangelo created one of the most prominent artworks ever …show more content…

Donatello, of the Early Renaissance, created the first nude sculpture since ancient Greek and Rome. Michelangelo, of the High Renaissance, embodied the athletic male nude by studying the human body. Although these two artists portrayed the same character, there are several distinctions between them. Donatello has depicted the victorious David after he defeated the Goliath. He used the sword of the Goliath to defeat him. As for the other hand, Michelangelo portrayed David as a humble warrior, patiently waiting for his enemy. In his left hand is the weapon he began with - the slingshot. “Michelangelo breaks away from the traditional way of representing David. He does not present us with the winner, the giant 's head at his feet and the powerful sword in his hand, but portrays the youth in the phase immediately preceding the battle” (Krén and Marx). Michelangelo and Donatello have had a few techniques in common between their sculptures. The first would be the contrapposto stance their statues are in. Another would be how their sculptures are free standing. This means that they are both able to stand without any extra support. As a result, the two have prevailed as artists and gave true significance to the Renaissance. Donatello and Michelangelo, both being the great artist they are, have portrayed a new way to depict the biblical hero David. Donatello brought back the concept of nude artworks. Michelangelo studied the

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