The era of the Italian Renaissance was in many ways similar to a breath of fresh air after the severity and gloom of the Middle Ages. The country, the heiress of the Holy Roman Empire, fully justified this status, giving the world a huge number of brilliant creators. The Italian Renaissance became the heyday of all kinds of arts, from architecture to music. One of the leading places in this process was rightfully occupied by sculpture. And the main creator, for many decades determining the development of sculpture, was the great Donatello. But first things first.
Waking up after a long sleep
In the Middle Ages, sculpture was an integral part of architecture and was not conceived as a separate direction of art. With the beginning of the Renaissance, everything changes: it begins to appear in architectural ensembles as complementary, but still separate elements. One of the first among many branches of art, sculpture turned to face the reality and life of mere mortals, moving away from religious content. Of course, Christian subjects remain in the center of attention of artists, however, they are increasingly turning to contemporaries.
New genres appear: a portrait is developing, equestrian statues appear . Sculpture becomes the central part of architectural ensembles, changing the semantic load and placing emphasis - moving away from the secondary role. New materials are emerging. The wood is replaced by marble and bronze. In Northern Italy, terracotta statues (from burnt clay) were made in large quantities. With the filing of Lorenzo Ghiberti, the technique of glazed terracotta begins to spread. Bronze masters quickly fell in love with its impressive set of advantages over other materials.
Renaissance sculptors
The already named Lorenzo Ghiberti worked in the 15th century and was among the first creators who turned to realism. The central place in his activity throughout his life (1378–1455) was occupied by the problem of creating a picturesque monumental relief. For more than twenty years, Ghiberti worked on the northern doors of the Florentine Baptistery. In the relief compositions created by the master, the legacy of the Gothic style passed through: the angularity of the frames and the rhythm of the composition echoing them refers precisely to this tradition. At the same time, a new vision of space, already characteristic of the Renaissance, is felt in the work.
A realistic manner developed in full force on the eastern doors of the Baptistery, on which Ghiberti worked for another twenty years. The depicted scenes are inherent in beauty and special liveliness: the figures are proportional, the landscape is replete with details, the lines are clearly drawn and distinguished by grace. The eastern gate of the Baptistery is considered one of the sights of Florence and is a kind of symbol of the triumph of new trends in sculpture over the heritage of the past.
Another renowned Italian Renaissance sculptor was Andrea del Verrocchio (1435–1488). He became the first teacher of the great Leonardo da Vinci, who showed his student many tricks in both sculpture and painting. However, Verrocchio's paintings were practically not preserved, which cannot be said about his sculptures.
One of his famous creations is a statue of David, for which, according to legend, the model was a brilliant student of the master. This statement, however, is highly doubtful. There is no doubt another - David Verrocchio clearly shows where da Vinci took many of his favorite tricks: lush angel curls, special body position and the famous half-smile.
The main work of Verrocchio was an equestrian monument to condottier Bartolomeo Colleoni. The statue reflected many trends of Renaissance art: the desire to convey the form in its entirety, the influence of anatomy on sculpture, the desire to convey emotions and movement in a frozen figure.
First among equals
Renaissance sculptors with their search for a new style and appeal to the almost forgotten Antiquity would still look like an unfinished picture, if Donatello were not among them. The great master can, without a doubt, be called a pioneer, so many innovations have appeared in sculpture thanks to him. Without it, the Renaissance would have lost a lot: Donatello found a solution to the problem of sustainable body shaping, learned to convey body weight, weight and wholeness, the first after the ancient masters created a nude statue and began to create sculptural portraits. He was a recognized creator during his lifetime and influenced the development of art of an entire era.
The beginning of the way
Donatello, whose biography does not contain an exact date of birth (presumably 1386), came from a family of artisans, wool carders. He was born presumably in Florence or its environs. Donatello's full name is Donato di Niccolo di Betty Bardi.
The future famous Italian sculptor was trained in the workshop of Ghiberti at the time when he worked on the creation of the northern gate of the Baptistery. Probably, it was here that Donatello met the architect Brunelleschi, whom he kept his friendship throughout his life.
The rapid development of skills led to the fact that already in 1406 the young Donatello received an independent order. He was commissioned to create a statue of the prophet for the portal of the Florentine Cathedral.
Marble David
Donatello, whose work in the early years of his work reflected the bright personality of the author, soon after the order was completed received a new one. In 1407–1408, he worked on a marble statue of King David. The sculpture is not yet as perfect as the later image of the biblical hero made by the master, but it already reflects the aspirations and quests of the creator. David is not depicted in a classical form: a wise king with a lyre or a scroll in his hands. But as a young man who has just defeated Goliath and is proud of his feat. The statue resembles the images of ancient heroes: David rests his thigh with one hand, his opponent’s head rests at his feet, and soft folds of clothing wrap his body. And although the marble statue still contains echoes of Gothic architecture, its belonging to the Renaissance is undeniable.
Or San Michele
Donatello sought to create his work, taking into account not only the harmony of proportions and the general construction of the figure, but also the features of the place where the statue will be placed. His creations looked most advantageously exactly where they were put after completion. It seemed as though they were always here. Moreover, the work of Donatello, as talent improved, was increasingly removed from the Gothic canons and medieval depersonalization. The images created by him acquired bright individual features, expressiveness was often achieved due to irregularities.
All these nuances of the master’s creativity are perfectly visible in the images of the saints that he created for the church of Or San Michele. The statues were installed in niches, however, they seemed to be complete independent sculptures that harmoniously fit into the architecture of the church and were not dependent on it. Especially among them are the figures of St. Mark (1411-1412) and St. George (1417). In the image of the first Donatello managed to convey the tireless and stormy work of thought under the cover of complete external calmness. When creating the statue, the master turned to the ancient method of sustainable staging. The bends of the torso and arms, as well as the location of the folds of clothes - everything is subordinate to this technique.
St. George is depicted as a young man in armor, leaning on a shield, with a spiritualized, determined face. This is the embodied ideal of the hero, which was equally in tune with both the era and Donatello himself.
Bronze david
All scholars agree that one of Donatello’s greatest creations was David, a sculpture cast in bronze (presumably from the 1430s and 1440s). Vasari, the first art historian, wrote that it was commissioned by Cosimo Medici, however , there is no other data confirming this fact.
David - a non-standard sculpture. Continuing the embodiment of his plan, which was laid down in marble David, Donatello portrays the biblical hero as a young man with the head of the newly defeated Goliath at his feet. The similarity, however, ends there. Bronze David is not just young, he is young. Donatello portrayed him naked, having carefully worked out all the bends of the strong, but not yet fully formed, body of the boy. From clothes only a shepherd's hat with a laurel wreath and sandals with greaves. To set the figure, the master used the method of counterpost. The whole weight of the body is transferred to the right leg, while David's left tramples on the enemy’s head. This technique achieves a feeling of relaxed posture, rest after a fight. The internal dynamics inherent in the figure are well read due to the deviation of the body from the central axis of the sculpture and the location of the sword.
Bronze David is created as a statue that can be viewed from all sides. It was the first nude sculpture since Antiquity. The legacy of the masters of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome is felt throughout the hero. At the same time, the features inherent in the sculpture are filled with a bright personality and are thus the embodiment of the ideals of the Renaissance.
Inspired by the Eternal City
The master perfected his skills during a trip to Rome. From a city preserving the heritage of a great empire, Donatello brought a deep understanding of ancient canons and stylistic devices. Donatello used the results of the rethinking of ancient Greek and Roman art in the process of creating the department of the Cathedral of Florence, which he worked on from 1433 to 1439. It was probably in the Eternal City that Donatello visited the new plan: the equestrian statue of condottier Erasmo da Narni, according to many researchers, was conceived after a meeting with the ancient monument to Marcus Aurelius.
Hero
Erasmo da Narni was a Venetian condottier, a hired military commander. His fate, not distinguished by special heroic twists of the plot, nonetheless inspired Donatello. Gattamelata (in the translation “Honey Cat”) - the condottiere received such a nickname for his gentle nature and at the same time attentiveness and insinuatingness, reminiscent of a cat’s hunting behavior. He began his career from the bottom and, honestly serving Florence, managed to achieve much. In recent years, Gattamelata served as commander in chief of the ground forces of the Republic of Venice. After his death, the condottiere bequeathed to bury him in the Basilica del Santo in Padua. Gattamelata died in 1443.
The triumph of Donatello: equestrian statue of Erasmo da Narni
The Venetian Republic, remembering the merits of the military leader, allowed his widow and son to erect a monument to the condottier at their own expense. The embodiment of this idea and took Donatello. He created the equestrian statue for ten years, from 1443 to 1453.
The three-meter statue, as conceived by the master, was installed on an eight-meter pedestal. The size of the sculpture was the result of a specific idea of Donatello: the equestrian statue was to be located on the background of a huge cathedral and only with the condition of its own impressiveness could look like a whole and independent work. The monument was placed in such a way that it seemed that he was leaving the cathedral and was slowly moving away.
The pedestal is decorated with images of doors ajar on the east side and locked on the west. This symbol has a certain interpretation: you can enter the kingdom of the dead, but you cannot leave it. Doors remind of the original purpose of the monument, beautifully executed by Donatello. Gattamelata on a horse was supposed to rise in the cemetery of the cathedral. The monument was an original cenotaph, a tombstone - and here Donatello showed his penchant for innovation.
Man of the era
The condottier, portrayed by Donatello, is confident and full of strength, but already an old man. He has a baton in his left hand and holds reins with his right. He embodies the image of a hero of the Renaissance: not boiling with passion, but rethinking life - a thinker warrior, probably incorporating the features of Donatello himself. At the same time, the statue of Condotier Gattamelata is an excellent example of the portraiture of the sculptor. His face cannot be confused with others: a nose with a hump, a clear line of his mouth, a small chin and prominent cheekbones.
The commander's robe is evidence of a desire to give him the features of the heroes of Antiquity. Hattamelata is not dressed in modern Donatello clothing, but in the armor of ancient Rome. Presumably, it was the chasing of the details of the vestments that took the master the longest time. However, in the process of creating the monument, Donatello faced many tasks: it was necessary to create a harmonious transition from the figure of the condottier to the horse, to place emphasis to create the necessary impression. Solving these and other issues took time. The result of such thoughtful and lengthy work justified all the costs.
Donatello praised his work, it was accepted by his contemporaries. This is evidenced by the signature of the master, which he did not leave on all his works. The monument to condottiere Gattamelate inspired many sculptors of subsequent eras (for example, the already mentioned above Andrea del Verrocchio).
Judith
Another excellent example of Donatello's mastery was the statue of Judith and Holofernes, created in 1455–1457. The work illustrates the Old Testament story of a widow from Vetilui who bravely killed the Assyrian commander Holofernes in order to save her city from conquest. A fragile woman with a detached gaze and a face full of sorrow holds a sword in a highly raised hand, preparing to cut off the head of the intoxicated Holoferne limply leaning against her legs.
“Judith and Holofernes” is one of the versions of the traditions of female heroism popular in the Renaissance. Donatello put all his skill into this work and managed to convey both the gamut of Judith's feelings and the symbolism of the image as a whole. The most expressive part of the composition is the face of the widow. It is worked out so carefully that it seems alive. When looking at Judith, created by Donatello, it is very easy to understand what emotions she felt. The subtle skill of giving expressive features characteristic of the master to the face was fully used by Donatello in this sculpture.
The great Donatello died in 1466. In the last years of his life, the motives of old age, death, and suffering clearly dominated his work. During this period, Maria Magdalene Donatello appeared - not a girl full of beauty and full of strength, but exhausted by fasting and feeling the burden of old years. However, in both these and earlier works, the spirit of the ingenious sculptor is still alive and continues to inspire and excite.