Ryan Nelson 1 Ryan Nelson Prof.

Croke ART 102 ONLN 10/1/2012

The Emergence of Donatello This essay will delve into life, uniquely impressive style and two popular and iconic pieces of sculpture created by the one and only Donato di Niccol di Betto Bardi; otherwise known as Donatello. Donatello was one of the most influential figures in art during his tenure of work in the 15th century. We will first however, uncover some facts pertaining to the time period known as the Renaissance, and explain what type of art, and which artists played a profound part in shaping this era. In addition, we will highlight two of Donatello's most popular pieces, and draw comparison between the two for educational analyses. By the end of this essay, you should have an enlightened and more appreciative view of the profoundly talented Donatello; who is arguably considered to be one of the most influential artists of the era, and is certainly one of the most recognized names in art today. The tenure of Donatellos work spanned throughout much of the 15th century and it is thus critical to touch on some of the significances of the time. This particular period in world history was known as the Renaissance, and many stylistic and expressive advances in art technique were first put into use during the era (Artcyclopedia). Many who chose art as their vocation during this time started developing their crafts from a very early age. By their early to mid-teenage years, many were already under the training of masters of their particular niche. Once young artists became proficient in their practices, it was extremely common for then to join Guilds which were essentially micro-communities that were self-governed. Guilds were very comparable to the workers unions of today and only accepted highly talented artists; many of which had to face the rigorous undertaking of studying with true masters of the craft for several years. There was a

Ryan Nelson 2 strenuous process involved with entrance into Guilds, and they predominantly consisted of men. It was very rare for women to gain acceptance to guilds unless they received specialized training from within their own families. Stylistically speaking, the Renaissance caused a great emergence of artistic flavor which deviated from the previously popular style of Byzantine Art. The new artists of the early Renaissance introduced works of Gothic Art, and it was not uncommon to see Byzantine, Gothic, and also pieces which reflected both styles during the transition (Artcyclopedia). However, the presence of Gothic art was mostly phased by the end of the Early Renaissance . The Gothic style did manage to resurface in the 18th and 19th centuries however, though not in the same context. These later Gothic pieces were primarily created for nosalgic purposes (Artcyclopedia). Though Donatello is one of the most popular artists of all time, he was in certainly in great company. There were many other profoundly important artists who emerged during this era. Some of the most popular names include Leonardi Divinci, Jan van Eyck, Pieter Brueghel, and Filippo Brunelleschi. The High Renissance, which was geographically focused in Italy during the early 16th century, is considered to be one of the great explosions of creative genius in history (Artcyclopedia). Now that we have covered the time period, lets further analyze the focus of this essay; Donatello. Donato di Niccol di Betto Bardi, otherwise known as Donatello; was the son of Niccolo di Betto Bardi. Donatello was born in 1386 in Florence. His father Niccolo died in 1415, and it is therefore assumed that he was raised by his mother Orza in his city of birth (Crawford 205). Donatello made mention of his mother in an unnamed written source in 1427, but failed to in subsequent source in 1433, which is believed to be the time that she passed away. Donatello also had a sister named Tita, and a brother whom which there is very little documentation about; not so much as even a name (205).

Ryan Nelson 3 Donatellos life and art career is particularly intriging to study because he wasnt the type of man who kept detailed journals or memoirs as other artists of the time may have. There is an extremely limited amount of documentation surrounding his intimate personal life. However, it is believed by some that Donatello was openly homosexual (207). In order to truly understand and appreciate the man Donatello was, it is necessary to investigate in detail, some of the works he produced during his tenure. Through analysis of some of his most notable works, you may draw further conclusions about the type of person Donatello was as other historians have. Though many of Donatellos personal details may be uncertain, his body of work was certainly not lacking detail. He was a true master of Renaissance sculpture. One might ask, how did such a world famous artist get his start in the arts?. Well for Donatello, his interest in art is believed to have stemmed from an art competition in Florence in which the winner was hired to erect bronze doors for the Florentine Baptistry (206). This created a buzz excitement through Florence and initial interest in art for Donatello, as this was a very large and public contest. An artist named Ghiberti ended up winning the contest, in which more than 24 very well known artists entered. Donatello was then hired by Ghiberti as an assistant, who were at the time known as garzoni (222). He then helped Ghiberti with the gates, and the rest is history! Now, lets cover some of the art of Donatello by examining two of his most well-known sculptures; the St. George, and David. The St George was a magnificient marble sculpture which was commissioned by the Guild of Swordmakers and Armorers. The original location for the piece was the Osanmichele which is a beautiful church in Florence (Hurll 596). The St. George showcases the Saint clad in light armor bearing a large shield which is held partially by the Saints hand, and partially by the ground beneath. The look of expression appears to be one of duty and resolve. The St. George is the impersonation of the holy soldier whos wars are "not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places (586). Though

Ryan Nelson 4 Donatellos primary focus in his works of sculpture was expression and not vanity, this work is widely viewed as one which blends the elements of beauty and expression together into one impressively lifelike masterpiece (603). The St. George was placed in a very exposed area of the Orsanmichele, and was therefore eventually replaced with a replica. The original was then moved to the National Museum Florence for preservation (154,596). Illustrated below is the original sculpture.

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St. George. Donatello. 1416. Marble. www.WGA.hu Web.

Ryan Nelson 6 Next is Donatellos representation of David. Originally chiseled from marble, David along with the St. George, is considered to be one of the most iconic sculptures created in the early 1400s (Schneider, 213). In this fantastic work, a very confident David is shown to be completely nude except for his hat, boots and sword. He stands very triumphantly over the dead Goliath, yet exudes minimal masculinity. It is thought that the type of prominent feminine expression portrayed in David may have been further evidence of Donatellos homosexual affinity (213). Another interesting fact about Donatellos masterpiece is that he was compensated at a higher rate than another popular artist by the name of Nanni Di Banco who produced a similar work; though Di Bancos sculpture was named Isaiah (Olszewski 67). In addition to being one of the most notable sculptures of the Renaissance, the David obtained distinguished political significance and symbolism for Florence. This was the case due to several attempts by Italian tyrants to invade and conquer the state of Florence in the 1400s. The most notable of these invasions were staged by King Ladaslaus of Naples, and Giangaleazzo Visconti of Milan. The sculpture of David eventually came to be hailed as a distinct symbol of anti-tyranny (213). Below is a detailed picture of the sculpture.

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Ryan Nelson 8 David. Donatello. 1440s. Marble. ARTSTOR. Web.

These pieces relate to one another in the aspect of them both being crafted using the same material (marble), and representing a male figure in varying militant conflict. However, they contrast in the regard that the St. George was hailed as a religious symbol, while the sculpture of David remained a political one in the eyes of the Florentines. There is also a marked degree of physical difference in each sculpture. St. George is represented as a large and very masculine figure; confident and resolute. David on the other hand stands with a feminine pose, and exudes narcisism in his triumph over Goliath. The figures also contrast in the regard that St. George appears to have curly hair similar to a Greek god, while David has longer hair which looks much more feminine. To conclude, it is very clear to see that Donatello had an affinity toward gesture. This is very apparent due to the fact that the two works described contrasted so greatly in their gesture, yet were both regarded as such valuable pieces from the Renaissance. This is proof of Donatellos mastery of gesture in Reniassance sculpture.

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Works Cited

Crawford, Earl of David Lindsay (2012-05-12). Donatello, by Lord Balcarres (Kindle Location 225). . Kindle Edition.

Hurll, Estelle M. (Estelle May) (2011-03-24). Tuscan Sculpture of the Fifteenth Century A Collection of Sixteen Pictures Reproducing Works by Donatello, the Della Robia, Mino da Fiesole, and Others, with Introduction (Kindle Location 608). . Kindle Edition.

Artcyclopedia. Artcyclopedia. 2011. Web. 1 Oct. 2012.

Artibus et Historiae 1997 Olszewski, Edward. "Prophecy and Prolepsis in Donatello's Marble "David" JSTOR (1997): 63-79. Print

Schneider, Laurie. "Donatello's Bronze David" JSTOR (1973): 213-216. Print.