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Donatello di Niccolo di Betto Bardi better known as Donatello was born in Florence, Italy in 1386, his Birthdate was never discovered. Donatello received the name “Niccolo di Betto Bardi” from his dad, who was a member of the Florentine Wool Combers Guild (Wikipedia Contributors). Donatello made no secret of his homosexuality, in addition to, he lived with other artists and his behavior was tolerated by his friends (New World Encyclopedia). As a kid, he grew up and was educated by the Martelli family. He experienced his first artistic training in a goldsmith’s workshop (Wikipedia Contributors). In addition, Donatello worked with many sculptors, such as, Lorenzo Ghiberti, who was commissioned to create the bronze doors for the Baptistery of the Florence Cathedral with the help of Donatello. In 1407 there was some speculation that Donatello and Brunelleschi developed a friendship and traveled to Rome to study classical art (A&E Television). Accomplishments Donatello was the first to build a marble nude life-sized statue (Encyclopedia Britannica). He also invented a technique known as Schiacciato in other words, “flattened out”, it achieved effects of spatial depth …show more content…
It was placed in the Cathedral as decoration for the Medici family who wished to decorate their Palazzo courtyard. (Encyclopedia of World Biography). Donatello’s version of David is made of bronze and is the first free standing nude male sculpture made since antiquity (Donatello). The story behind the statue of David is about a few trained Israelite soldiers who are intimidated to fight the giant Goliath, until David, a shepherd boy, accepts the challenge of taking the giant down. Saul, an Israelite soldier offers David armor and weapons, but the boy refuses. Instead, he goes out with his sling, and confronts the enemy. He hits Goliath in the head with a stone, knocking the giant down, and then grabs Goliath 's sword and cuts off his
This invention distinguish his David from any other David Statue before him. At Bernini’s ear, David was a popular subject in Italy. At that time Italy did not have a powerful central government, and cities were seeking for their independence. The story of David killed Goliath and won the independence of Israel was understand as a symbol of independent. Therefore the statue of David also had political meanings. The two most famous David were from Donatello and Michelangelo. Donatello made two David, one was marble and one was bronze, but the ideas behind them are same. Donatello’s David stood still. He had successfully achieve his goal and killed Goliath, whose head lying at his feet. Michelangelo’s David was nude and had perfect athletic muscles and proportion, and fairly smooth flesh. His body was so perfect that made him immortal and divine. He had not yet embarked on the actual combat but would departure instantly. He stood still confidently. Michelangelo’s David was actually much more vivid than Donatello’s. Nevertheless, when compared to Bernini’s David, even the former seems lack the sense of motion. Bernini made his David a mortal. Bernini expressed a man in the middle of his ferocious action in an ultra realistic
Donatello is the first and only artist out of the three (himself, Michelangelo and Bernini) to sculpt David where he is standing victorious over the head of Goliath. His first version of David shows a young hero dressed in robes in a somewhat cocky position. His left hand is placed on his hip while he bears a neutral facial expression. The head of Goliath is placed between his feet while he stands in a slight
Michelangelo was born in Caprese, Italy on March 6th 1475. His family was politically prominent as his family had large land property. His father was a banker and was looking to his son to engage in his businesses. As a young boy, he has ambitions of becoming a sculptor, but his father was very discouraging of this. He wanted his son to live up to the family name and take up his father’s businesses. Michelangelo became friends with Francesco Granacci, who introduced him to Domenico Ghirlandio(biography.com). Michelangelo and his father got into a series of arguments until eventually they arranged for him to study under Ghirlandaio at the age of thirteen. Ghirlandaio watched Michelangelo work and recognized his talent for the art and recommended him into an apprenticeship for the Medici family palace studio after only one year of at the workshop. The Medici’s were very rich from making the finest cloths. Lorenzo, which was one of the most famous of the family had a soft side for art and is credited for helping the Italian Renaissance become a time of illustrious art and sculpting. At ...
Michelangelo Buonarroti was a man who desired to create. His art is impactful, reflects the time of the renaissance, and his growth as an artist. Michelangelo Buonarroti was born March 6,1475 in Caprese, Italy. His father was a government agent in Caprese and his mother died when he was six years old ("Michelangelo Buonarroti"). When Michelangelo was 13 he was an apprentice to a painter named Domenico Ghirlandaio. In addition to being an apprentice, he also studied sculpture with Bertoldodi Giovanni ("Michelangelo Buonarroti"); at 17 he created his earliest sculpture. Michelangelo was an ambitious artist who took on big projects. He was interested in human anatomy, engineering, painting, sculpture, architecture, and poetry (Bleiberg et al. 386-398). “Michelangelo was intensely religious and received inspiration from a deep sense of his own personal unworthiness and of his sinful nature”
Where one is a bronze statue with a singular figure, the other is a painting with a central figure, from which the story is built. However, their contrasts go beyond what they are made of, to their different subjects and their complexity. Donatello’s David shows youthful beauty and strength, which he confidently exudes through his body language. Standing with one foot atop Goliath’s severed head while turning his body to balance his weight to the other leg, this statue is a clear example of Contrapposto, which the Greeks invented and introduced into their sculptures. Donatello’s statue of David stands triumphant and proudly atop his trophy, while telling the audience I am the conqueror of Giants. His expression is stern to match his
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...
Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi better known as, Donatello, was an artist during the Renaissance art movement. He
Though in no sense a history, Alberti's De pictura of 1435-36, like these works, contains a list--a much abbreviated one--of great Florentine artists: Brunelleschi, Donatello, Luca della Robbia, Ghiberti, and Masaccio. And, more important, the list is part of an encomium similar in type to those mentioned: Brunelleschi, like Villani's Giotto, ha...
Michelangelo was born into a family of bankers; however, he was called to art. He first developed a love for painting.Michelangelo’s mother was very ill, so he was placed in a home with stonecutters(Biography.com Editors, 1). He was not interested in school; he mostly watched others paint the churches across the street. That’s ironic, because, later, Michelangelo painted a church ceiling. At the age of 13, Michelangelo’s father accepted that Michelangelo had no interest
Michelangelo’s family moved to Florence, Italy a month after his birth. Although his family was not wealthy, Michelangelo went to school in 1482. When Michelangelo started to excel in the arts his dad was not happy. He wanted Michelangelo to become a government or military figure. He beat Michelangelo to steer him away from the arts. Finally, at age 13 Michelangelo’s dad gave up and let Michelangelo start an apprenticeship under Domenico Ghirlando to learn (McNeese 11-21).
The Biblical Story of David, a young Israeli shepherd boy who slayed the Philistine giant, Goliath has been artistically portrayed in many different ways throughout the centuries. During the Baroque and Renaissance eras, three famous artists sculpted their own interpretation of what the Israelite King may have looked like. These men were Gianlorenzo Bernini, Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni and Donato Di Niccolo di Betto Bardi, otherwise known as Donatello.
Michelangelo’s David does not react with the surroundings but it stands alone with the little movements disguised behind it. The sculpture brings out David as a soldier preparing for war and not a person engaged in a battle (Miller, Vandome, & McBrewster, 2010). The hands are larger than normal and the arms are longer than his body. This is meant to illustrate the renaissance period. In contrast, the Bernini’s David has aspects of motion, showing that he was already engaged in the battle with Goliath. The idea of movement is enhanced by the loosely flowing robes. In addition, the sculpture demonstrates that unlike Michelangelo’s David that has longer hands, Bernini’s David has contracted muscles. The Michelangelo’s sculpture was created during Renascence period while the Bernini’s sculpture was done during the Baroque period.
Although religion in Europe drastically changed from polytheistic to monotheistic, there were gods still in existence in Florence. Michelangelo and Donatello were two of the many artists who took advantage of the rise of the Italian Renaissance. Both were working as sculptors during the time of the Renaissance, but there was gap between them. Donatello (c. 1386-1466) was known as the greatest sculptor of his time, because of his unique sculpting technique and attention to the human anatomy. Donatello was widely known around Florence for his essentially Goth...
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
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (1475-1564) was an Italian poet, architect, painter and sculptor. Not only was he thought to be the greatest artist during his lifetime but he has also been thought to be one of the greatest artists of all time (Gilbert). The Florence Cathedral asked him to complete an abandoned commission from a giant block of marble, to depict yet another David to be a symbol of Florence, and was to be placed on the gable of the Cathedral. Michelangelo finished the giant 17’ statue in 1504. It never made it up on the Cathedral but instead was placed in the Piazza della Signoria and is now in the Gallery of the Academy of Florence while a replica stands in the square. Like the other two David’s, this statue uses the classic contrapposto stance. Also like Donatello’s, Michelangelo depicted the classical nude but with an athletic physique. Unlike Donatello and Verrocchio’s statues though, which show the hero’s triumph and Goliath’s head at their feet, Michelangelo chose to show David before the battle. He portrays the young warrior with his sling in his left hand over his shoulder and a rock in his right, which he is starting to clench. His head is turned to his left watching the oncoming opponent with an intensity in his gaze. Michelangelo’s David shows the tension before the action with a feeling of pent-up energy like he’s about to explode into action. Because of these