Donatello And The Renaissance

The Renaissance is a period of change in which many great authors and artists emerged. Donatello was one of these many artists, but perhaps the most significant. Donatello’s famous works of art like David and Gattamelata changed how artists would think for years to come. Every piece of art created by Donatello focused on attention to details and portraying both humans and their emotions as accurately as possible. Donatello bridged the gap between the classical and Renaissance world through his innovative use of Schiacciato and realism.

The Renaissance was a cultural movement occurring from the 14th to 17th century. During this time many new ideas and works were emerging. One key idea from the Renaissance is humanism. Humanism is essentially a celebration of the individual being and what makes us so unique. People who believed in the humanist movement generally preferred cold hard facts to merely believing something as a result of religion. In terms of literature, many great authors emerged but one key figure was Petrarch. Petrarch’s sonnets were written about an unattainable woman he was in love with named Laura. They were extremely descriptive and portrayed the beauty of every aspect of Laura but also the human body in general. Donatello was merely another example of a Renaissance artist that emerged during this time. Donatello’s sculptures portrayed the immense power human beings had on the world around them but also their beauty.

Although his birth date is unknown, Donatello was born in Florence, Italy sometime around 1386. His first educational setting was working at the shop of a goldsmith. Many historians believe that this is where Donatello learned the art of craft. After a few years, Donatello decided to follow Brunelle...

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...tello (Artble). If praise from other great artists does not show how much regard others had for Donatello then his students will. After Donatello’s death there were many incomplete pieces of art that he left behind. His students completed his work, which is clear evidence of their upmost devotion and respect for the man. Donatello was able to take old ideas and truly make a change. One of the most famous examples was his ability to take equestrian statues, once reserved only for royalty, and successfully make them mainstream. Schiaccciato is merely another one of Donatello’s outstanding contributions to the world of art. Schiacciato is a way of carving marble in order to give it a three-dimensional impression even on a flat surface. This allowed Donatello to make his works come to life and served as an innovation that would transform the world of Renaissance art.