Donatello was born in 1386 in Florence, Italy and was known as the most influential, individual artist during the 15 century. His full name is Niccolo di Betto Bardi and was nicknamed Donatello by his friends. He had close ties with the Medici family through the Martellis, where he had been educated in the arts. Donatello learned sculpting from the goldsmith in the neighborhood near by. The local goldsmith taught him fabrication of substances and also metallurgy. Then he had followed and was taught by Lorenzo Ghiberti, a well known sculptor. Lorenzo was picked to sculpt the Cathedral doors and brought Donatello along to accompany him.
Donatello then met up with Filippo Brunelleschi, another well known sculptor, and traveled to Rome to study art. No
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records are given about what exactly the two sculptors had done in Rome, but it is to be believed that they had learned many interesting techniques and skills while they were there. From 1408 to 1455 he created some of the most influential work for the beginning of the Renaissance such as David, Gattamelata, Magdalene Penitent, and the tombs of Roman priests and figures. He made many more but these were some of his most known sculptures. His relationship with the Medici’s allowed him retirement pay for the rest of his life, which was not very long. He lived until December 13th, 1466 of which he died from unknown causes and was buried next to Cosimo de Medici.
Donatello was among the first sculptors and influential human beings of the Renaissance period. The Renaissance had begun around 1350 and Donatello became known about 58 years later in 1408. Donatello’s style was very unique for its time period and showed innovation and extraordinary skill. He built a foundation for the upcoming sculptors in the next 300 years and his actions will not go unnoticed. The pieces that had shown his talent and that were also most influential among the Renaissance were David, Gattamelata, and Saint Mark.
In 1408, he had completed David, a life-sized marble figure of a hero from Italian fables. Originally, the statue was to be put up in the Cathedral, but was instead put up in the town hall, Palazzo Vecchio, to defy the authority of the Florence. At the time, Florence was in a struggle with the King of Naples. Donatello had more of a Gothic style and David reflected it a lot. Gothic art and architecture symbolizes the gothic tribes that destroyed the Roman Empire in the fifth century A.D. It has nothing to do with the goth style of today
though. David was made twice by Donatello, one made from marble and the later well known bronze sculpture. The marble sculpture showed a young David who resembled more of a prophet than a hero. This look of David was to be fixed and shown a more heroic side of him by taking away the pedestal that he stood on. Though the marble statue still represented an effective political symbol. David was one of Donatello’s earliest known sculptures and did not show the innovative Donatello that was to be born as time passed. Later in his life, around the 1430s, Donatello was called upon by Cosimo de’ Medici to sculpt yet another David. Most of the dates and who and where the sculpture was to be put is all unknown and undocumented but this time it would be done in bronze instead of marble. The statue was the first unsupported bronze cast and was also the first full nude male art piece during the Renaissance. This is where Donatello’s influence and innovation had began. He used the science of metallurgy to create his first masterpiece. This was the first of many sculptures made by metal from Donatello and many other sculptors in the following years of the Renaissance. David was also Donatello’s first sculpture that strayed away from the classic Gothic styles of that time and was twisted with a more modern style. Donatello was among the first to do this as the Renaissance did not fully evolve into modern style art for another 100 years. Though, controversy was brought up by the David sculpture following its immediate cheerful response. Many people loved the sculptured but over time, and even now, critics had different opinions on it. David is standing on the severed head of Goliath after his triumph against the giant. What is abnormal is the winged helmet that Goliath is wearing and how it lays on David’s right leg toward his groin area. Critics took this as some sort of “homosocial” meaning behind the sculpture. Donatello was openly homosexual but no one is really sure of why the sculpture was made like this. This controversy created hate among some people and cause artists to stray away from making any type of homosexual references in their art, although, some did not get that message. Gattemelata was the second influential sculpture that Donatello di Niccolò di Betto Bardi had created. The statue was made to be in memory of Erasmo da Narni, a military soldier and mercenary throughout the Italian city-states before the Renaissance. Donatello was requested by the family to make the statue and begin as soon as possible. It was placed in Piazza del Santo in Padua, Italy, where it is still standing today. Gattamelata was the unusual because it goes away from the standard equestrian statues of military leaders and portrays a normal soldier on a horse. Donatello made this statue to be life size which was not like normal pieces of this time. Most were scaled much smaller because of the work and money that it took to create something of this magnitude. Donatello, yet again, innovated the Renaissance style with larger than life sculptures, compared to other statues of this time period. Gattamelata portrayed a “fusion of Renaissance humanism and individualism with classicism.” Donatello proved that he could show the styles of the present and future eras into a beautiful creation. He also demonstrated a new technique of his that began an “art revolution” in the Renaissance. Showing emotion through the piece rather than expressionless. He made people feel the emotion of pride and strength with this bronze military equestrian. The body positioning and form of Gattamelata’s face was something most artist and people had never seen before. The statue was also the first of many to be free standing without a background or theme. Almost all of the sculptures of this time had a background behind them, but Donatello thought otherwise and put the theme into the sculpture itself. His interest in detail is shown in his later work and inspired many famous artist and sculptors for the Renaissance such as Da Vinci and Michelangelo. This work also became the prototype of equestrian statues during the Renaissance. Saint Mark was Donatello’s art piece for which he had created for the linen drapers guild of Florence. The linen drapers were critical on the statue before they had even seen it, and were curious as to if they had picked the right person to perform their task. Saint Mark is unlike the rest of Donatello’s sculptures because of his choice of marble, instead of his popularly and expensive used bronze casts. The reason for this was because he had only a year to complete it. Donatello’s choice of marble reflects immensely his respect toward classical art. Saint Mark stands with his weight on his back leg and his body covered by his robe. A more natural pose, rather than an emotional one. Donatello used the science of perspective to make the statue look proportionate since it would not be viewed at eye level, but from the ground up. He made Saint Mark have a longer torso, gave him bigger hands and a bigger head, and shortened his legs. This gave the effect that when you look upon the statue, it was proportionate. This was part of the genius side of Donatello. Some artists did not put size into consideration, and this is what began that side of thinking. This creation peaked the movement from the gothic style to the modern Renaissance style art. There was a sense of realism, to the point where you could see veins in his hand. It was so real that you could believe it to walk out into the public and look the same as every other person. Besides the fact of it being marble and a lot larger than an actual human, it gave off humanism and individualism, two major artistic values on the Renaissance. Saint Mark did differ from his past work because of it having a background behind it. At first, the linen drapers were not pleased with the statue and argued that the unproportionate body was unpleasing to the eye. Donatello being the genius that he is told them he would fix it but actually did nothing to it. Instead he placed the linen drapers at a different angle and they were very pleased with the “adjustments” Donatello had made. Donatello could be considered one of the foundations for the Renaissance sculpting revolution. His unique and innovative skills proved to be worthy of his recognition. From using bronze and other metals instead of marble, to the emotion behind every eye and muscle, he was a pioneer of the Renaissance. He used classical art values and intertwined them with the modern teachings of the Renaissance. Inspiring famous artists like Leonardo Da Vinci, it had proved its worth. Donatello’s masterpieces will be remembered forever as influential and critical to the era, and sometimes a bit controversial.
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
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.
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 ...
During the time of the renaissance, Italy became the cultural center of Europe and of the renaissance (“Italian Renaissance”). Art had a major impact on the people of Italy during the Renaissance. Many pieces of art were seen as a metaphor for the people of Italy. Italy had independent city-states with their own governments (“Italian Renaissance”). Michelangelo’s sculpture “David” was an example of a sculpture seen as a metaphor. It represented the biblical hero from the story of David and Goliath was seen as a metaphor for the people of Italy against the government it reminded them that someone as small as David once defeated a giant(“Michelangelo Buonarroti”). Even though the arts were changing in Italy, the government was not doing so well. Michelangelo had training in humanism which in the renaissance artist’s art challenged the church and government, they also encouraged that others do the same (“Italian Renaissance”.) This led to many wars throughout this
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
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.
Donatello was born in Florence, Italy in1386. The full name of Donatello is Donato di Niccolo di Belto Bardi (“Donatello” par 1, 2, 3). His dad was a wool comber (“Donatello” par 1, 2). There was not much information found on his mom. He had a first job and that in the workshop of Lerenzo Ghilberti, a gothic sculptor, between 1404 and 1407(“Donatello” par 1, 2, 3). After that job he worked at a Florence Cathedral in 1407. At the Cathedral he decorated tombs and pulpits and made portrait busts and monuments (“Donatello” par 1, 2). An inspiration for his work was by ancient visual examples (“Donatello” par 1). He achieved his full intensity in the beginning of the 15th century (“Donatello” par 1, 2, and 3). In the later part of his life he studied Roman Ruins and became a Humanist (Blood par 1).
About eighty years after Divine Comedy was written, a surge of architecture and sculpture had risen. Three prominent artists in the later Middle Ages were famed for their original designs that held Roman, Greek, and Christian influences within their work. Donatello and Brunelleschi contributed to an era that perpetually changed Western art and it was due to
Filippo Brunelleschi was born in 1377 in Florence, Italy. He had one older brother and one younger brother. His mom was Giuliana Spini and his dad was Ser Brunellesco di Lippo Lapi, who was a Florentine notary. Even though Brunelleschi never married, he had one adopted son, Buggiano. After Brunelleschi trained to be a sculptor and goldsmith, in 1398, he applied to make the bronze reliefs for the door of the Baptistery of Florence in 1401. Sometime around this time he picked up the nickname “Pippo” by his friends. He was competing against six sculptors, one of them being Lorenzo Ghiberti. Unfortunately, Filippo didn’t win; Lorenzo Ghiberti did. After he lost, Filippo decided to leave his sculpting and to focus on architecture, where he worked with gears, clocks, wheels, and weights and math. He became very successful in those two fields. He turned out to be an architect and a clockmaker, but he was still a goldsmith too. He was also the first engineer in the renaissance (“Filippo Brunelleschi 1377-1446”). He was the architect for the Cathedral of Florence, also called the Santa Maria del Fiore.
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
He even suggested that the Pope come to Florence to consecrate the cathedral after its completion (The House of Medici). After seeing how popular he became with the completion of the dome he began to use art as a
Before the Renaissance, art was not very focused on beauty of the individual. Art focused mainly on religious events or figures, which is understandable because at the time the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) held most of the power. Some visual art and artists were able to tie in religion alongside the focus of beauty of man, such as Donatello. Donatello created a bronze statue of the religious figure David, which was the first free standing bronze figure made since rome. Donatello's David was different from other
One very notable artist to follow in Leonardo Da Vinci’s footsteps in the High Renaissance was Raphael (Adams, p. 312). In 1483 the artist known as Raphael was born Raffaello Sanzio of Urbino Italy; a walled city built on a sloping hillside in the Marche region of Italy (Encyclopedia of Arts Education, n.d; Encyclopedia Britannica, 2016). Recognized as a World Heritage site for its true Renaissance architecture, the city would also lure many an artist inside and scholars inside its walls during the 15th century (UNESCO, 2017; Encyclopedia Britannica, 2016). The son of Giovanni Santi, Raphael would receive his first lessons in the renaissance humanist movement and painting from his father; six years before Urbino would become a major artistry