Donatello is an Italian sculptor who is a representative of the early Renaissance, the Florentine school. We will talk about his life and work in this article. The biography of this author is unknown in detail, therefore, it is possible to present it only briefly.
Brief biographical information about the sculptor Donatello
The future sculptor Donatello was born in Florence in 1386, in the family of Nikollo di Betto Bardi, a wealthy wool-comber. He studied in 1403-1407 in the workshop of a man named Lorenzo Ghiberti. Here he mastered, in particular, the technique of bronze casting. The creativity of this sculptor was greatly influenced by his acquaintance with another great man - Filippo Brunelleschi. Ghiberti and Brunneleschi remained for life the closest friends of the master.
Giorgio Vasari said that the sculptor Donatello was a very generous man, very amiable, he treated his friends very well, never attached any importance to money. His students and friends took as much as they needed from him.
Early period of creativity
The activity of this sculptor in the early period, in the 1410s, was associated with communal orders that he was given to decorate various public buildings in Florence. For the building of Or San Michele (its facade) Donatello performs statues of St. George (the period from 1415 to 1417) and St. Mark (from 1411 to 1413). In 1415, he completes the statue of St. John the Evangelist, who adorned the Florentine Cathedral.
The construction commission in the same year, to decorate the campaign, commissioned Donatello to execute statues of the prophets. The master worked on their creation for almost two decades (from 1416 to 1435). Five figures are in the museum of the cathedral. "David" and the statues of the prophets (about 1430-1432) are still largely connected with the late Gothic tradition that existed at that time. The figures are subordinated to the abstract decorative rhythm, faces are ideally monotonously treated, heavy robes cover the bodies. But already in these creations he is trying to convey the new ideal of his era - the heroic individual personality - Donatello. The sculptor of the work created a variety of subjects in which this ideal is manifested. This is especially noticeable in the image of St. Mark (1412), St. George (1415), as well as Habakkuk and Jeremiah (years of creation - 1423-1426). Gradually, the forms acquire clarity, become integral volumes, typical facial expressions are replaced by portraits , and folds of robes clothe the body naturally, echoing its movement and bends.
Tomb of John XXIII
The sculptor Donatello creates, together with Michelozzo, the tomb of John XXIII in the period from 1425 to 1427. It became a classic model used for later tombs dating back to the Renaissance. The long cooperation of these two sculptors begins with this work.
Casting bronze figures
Donatello in the early 1420s turned to casting bronze figures. His first work in this material is a statue of Louis of Toulouse, which was commissioned to him in 1422 to decorate a niche in Or San Michele. This is one of the most remarkable monuments, which reflected the understanding of holiness as a personal feat that prevailed in the Renaissance.
Statue of david
The peak of this master’s work in bronze technique is the statue of David, created around 1430-1432. It is designed, unlike medieval sculpture, for a roundabout. Another innovation was the topic of nudity, which Donatello addressed. The sculptor of David depicted naked, and not in robes, as was customary before, for the first time since the Middle Ages, so realistically and on such a large scale.
Other Donatello works dating back to the 1410s - early 1420s - a lion carved from sandstone - the emblem of Florence, a wooden crucifix for the church of Santa Croce, a bronze reliquary for the church of Onisanti, a bronze figurine located in the National Museum of Florence under the name "Attis Amorino", which is, apparently, an image of the ancient deity of fertility, Priapus.
Relief works
Donatello's relief experiments were also revolutionary. The desire for a realistic image of an illusory space leads the sculptor to create a flattened relief, where the impression of depth is made using gradation of volumes. Enhances the spatial illusion of using direct perspective techniques. "Drawing" with a cutter, the sculptor is likened to a painting artist. We note here such works as “The Battle of George with the Dragon”, “Madonna Pazzi”, “Feast of Herod”, “Ascension of Mary” and others. The architectural background in the scenic reliefs of this master is depicted using direct perspective rules. He managed to make several spatial zones in which the characters are.
Trip to Rome, second Florentine period
The sculptor Donatello from August 1432 to May 1433 is in Rome. Here he, together with Brunelleschi, measures the monuments of the city, studies ancient sculpture. Local residents, according to legend, considered two friends as treasure hunters. Roman impressions were reflected in such works as the tabernacle made for the Chapel del Sacramento by order of Eugene IV (pope), the Annunciation (otherwise - the Altar of Cavalcanti, see photo below), the singing platform of one of the Florentine cathedrals, as well as the outdoor pulpit, made for the cathedral in Prato (creation time - 1434-1438 years).
Donatello achieves true classicism in the relief "Feast of Herod", created on his return from a trip to Rome.
Around 1440, the sculptor creates bronze doors, as well as eight medallions for the Florentine Old Sacristy of San Lorenzo (period from 1435 to 1443). In the four reliefs fashioned from knocking, striking freedom was achieved in the depiction of interiors, buildings and figures of people.
Padua period
Donatello leaves for Padua in 1443. Here begins the next stage of his work. He performs the equestrian statue of Erasmo de Narni (statue of Gattamelata). Donatello cast it in 1447, and this work was established a little later - in 1453. The image was a monument to Marcus Aurelius. Using the diagonal formed by the sword and rod of the Hattamelates (nickname Erasmo), as well as the position of the hands, the sculptor Donatello united the figures of the horse and rider into a seamless silhouette. The sculptures created by him during this period are really magnificent. In addition to the above, he performs the altar of St. Anthony of Padua, as well as four reliefs depicting scenes from his life, which are considered the pinnacle of this master’s work in a picturesque relief.
Even when Donatello depicts a real movement, as in the two statues of St. John the Baptist in Florence (in casa Martelli and in Bargello), he is limited to the most modest. In both cases, St. John is represented as walking, and everyone to the last toe participates in this movement. A new secret was torn out of nature.
A distinctive feature of Donatello's craftsmanship is that this sculptor portrayed with equal skill and energy, strength, grace and grace. For example, the bas-relief of a marble balcony in the Cathedral of Prato, carved in 1434, depicts half-naked geniuses and children who play musical instruments and dance with wreaths of flowers. Their movements are extremely lively, playful and diverse. The same can be noted about other marble bas-reliefs made for the Florentine cathedral.
Donatello in his last years in Padua does not work much. Apparently, he is seriously ill. The sculptor returns to Florence in 1453 and continues to live here until his death (in 1466), with the exception of a short trip to Siena in 1457.
Late Florentine period
Many questions are caused by the late work of Donatello. This sculptor in the late period of his work did not create many interesting works. Sometimes they talk about the decline of his skill, as well as a return to some Gothic techniques. The sculpture of Donatello in the period from the 1450s to the beginning of the 1460s is represented by a statue of Mary Magdalene (1455, photo below), made of wood, by the group Judith and Holofernes, a statue of John the Baptist, reliefs on the themes of the Resurrection and the Passion of Christ two chairs in the church of San Lorenzo. In these works, the tragic theme that Donatello develops dominates. The sculptor, in execution, adhered to naturalism, which verged on a spiritual break. A number of compositions were completed after the death of the master by his students - Bertoldo and Bellago.
The sculptor died in 1466. He was buried in the church of San Lorenzo, which is decorated with his works, with great honors. Thus ends the career of Donatello. The sculptor, whose biography and works were presented in this article, played a prominent role in world architecture. Note what it consisted of.
The significance of the work of this wizard
Donatello was a key figure in the history of Renaissance plastics. It was he who first began to study systematically the mechanism of movement of the human body, portrayed a complex mass action, began to interpret clothes in connection with body plastic and movement, set the task of expressing an individual portrait in sculpture, drew attention to the transmission of the mental life of the characters. He perfected the bronze casting and modeling of marble. The three-plane relief, developed by him, indicated the ways for the further development of sculpture, as well as painting.