Donatello is a True Renaissance Artist

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Recommended: Reflection on the Renaissance period

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...

... middle of paper ...

... 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.

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