Humanism in European Renaisaance

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The European Renaissance was a time of great change. The people of that time were beginning to take an interest in learning and also began to follow the idea of humanism. Humanism was a way of life where a person would reject most religious beliefs and focus on the here and now. One of the main things Humanist believed in was individual achievement. This gave many artists the opportunity to be known around Europe for his or her talent and not be criticized for being selfish. This is exactly what Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi, or more commonly known as Donatello did. This gifted Italian sculptor was born in Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance, around the year 1386. Donatello grew up already set up on the path to be a great craftsman. His father was a member of the Florentine Wool Combers Guild, this influenced Donatello’s choice of career. Donatello’s name started to become known after he created an Annunciation carved in stone for the church of S. Croce in his hometown, Florence. After this, Donatello was hired to create art for many well-known patrons such as the Medici family. He also collaborated with other talented sculptors and artist of his time, like Ghiberti. Donatello was a huge influence to Renaissance art because of the realism of his work, the effect his art had on other sculptors, and his revival of classical art.
During the European Renaissance people were truly fascinated with making things look as realistic as possible, this is called realism. Pearson Education states, “Donatello is considered one of the founders of modern sculpture because he created realistic human expressions and stressed action and character”. Donatello was one of the first artists of his time to experiment with realism. Realism w...

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...day. His art really shows how much he knew about classical art. He was able to combine both classical style and medieval style in his art. Donatello brought classical styles into the Renaissance were it easily sparked a flame and spread throughout Europe.
Donatello’s art was well like because it put forth a wide range of interest, from classical art to religion. Today, Donatello’s work remains in Florence, Italy, where it was created. Many people travel all over the world just to see his art because Donatello was a towering figure in the Renaissance. Overall, Donatello managed to influence Renaissance with the realism of his art, the effect him and his art had on others, and his revival of classical art. Without Donatello’s artworks present day would not be the same, not only did he influence artists of his own time, but he is still influencing artists of today.

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