Donatello Research Paper

Donatello

Donatello ,an artist of unfathomable intelligence ,was inspired ,or devilishly driven ,to play out in stone a spiritual peril inherent in art(web). He is one of the most famous artists in history. He sculpted numerous objects and statues that have inspired other artists. Donatello was an innovator who was influenced by statues he saw in his time and by his teachers. His passion for art made him the great artist he became. He was one of the most influential individual sculptor of his time. Not only did he have a great impact on the Italian Renaissance ,but also on the future of art in general. Of the time ,he was one of the leaders of the artistic movement. “The liberating world was uttered” by young Donatello ,but he spoke
Donatello’s lifespan was from 1386 to 1466(web). His Christian name is Donato di Niccolo di Betto Bardi but was given the nickname Donatello by his friends and family. His nickname Donatello means “little Donato”. Not much was known about his early childhood or education. What was known was that he attained his early education from a wealthy family from Florence, the Martelli’s. While he was with the family he was given his first instructions on becoming a goldsmith. The name of Donatello’s mother was unknown but Niccolo di Betto Bardi was his father and he was a wool comber in Florentine. His father was a member of the Florentine Wool Combers Guild. Donatello didn’t want to do what his father did so he took a different route. It is believed that he received his artistic training in a goldsmith’s workshop. There he learned about metallurgy and fabrication of metals and other
Donatello rapidly matured his art and soon began creating his own style. In 1408 he finished the life-size sculpture of David. The figure was made out of marble. The figure follows a Gothic style, popular at the time, with long graceful lines and an expressionless face. The work reflects the influences of sculptors of the time. It's very well executed, but it lacks the emotional style and innovative technique that would mark Donatello’s later work. Originally, the sculpture was intended for placement in the cathedral. It was set up in the town hall as a symbol of defiance of authority to Florentines. Michelangelo’s admiration for Donatello is documented for the time of the marble David by a sketch after Donatello’s David. The statue of David would become the most famous body of work by Donatello. He developed his own style of relief known as schiacciato. This technique involved extremely shallow carving and utilized light and shadow to create the full pictorial scene(web). Observations were made that Donatello refrained from giving his works a high finish ,even at the risk of making them seem less attractive at close range ,in order to preserve the vividness of his “artistic handwriting” (Janson 20; vol.2). The harmony of his work melts as in a “fiery glow”, and his personality grows demon-like into his gigantic proportions out of the sturdy workshop tradition of the middle