Donatello
by Zach Wallat
Birth
Donatallo was born around 1386 in Florence, Italy.
Life/Lifestyle
Donatello spent his life in Italy, mainly Florence. Donatello was an apprentice of Lorenzo Ghiberti in the early stages of his life. Donatello dedicated his life to the church and the Medici family.
Education and Training
Donatello worked at a shop of a goldsmith, which is where he learned the craft and gained interest in manipulating metals and other substances. Next he worked as an apprentice of his mentor, Lorenzo Ghiberti.
Artwork
Donatello created sculptures. A few sculptures he created are St. Mark, St. John the Evangelist, Annunciation, Mary Magdalen, St. John the Baptist, David, Virgin and Child, and Gattamelata.
Patron
A patron of Donatello was Cosimo de Medici.
Isms
Humanism- Donatello sculpted many human figures and showed the human body as a functional organism. He showed human potential.
Individualism- Donatello wanted to express the human and human freedom.
Title
The name of this sculpture is David.
Date
This piece was created around the year 1440.
Where is this piece today?
This sculpture is located in the Bargello Museum in Florence, Italy.
Significance and new techniques used
This piece is known as the most famous example of fifteenth century sculpturing because it is the first male nude sculpture since classical times. Something new that is used is nudity.
Description
I think this sculpture is unique. This sculpture shows great detail of the human figure. This also shows Donatello's great artistic ability as it is very realistic.
Which ism or Renaissance ideal is most closely linked to this piece?
Individualism is most closely linked to this piece. This is because this sculpture of David shows nudity. Nudity wasn't accepted by society at the time.
Why do I find this piece so interesting?
I find this piece so interesting because it was the first nude sculpture of this time. This is also the first free standing sculpture. I find it interesting that Donatello has David wearing a hat and holding a sword.
Citation
"Donatello." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Biography in Context. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.
"Donatello." Artbl.com. Web. 15 Nov. 2013
Erich Lessing Culture and Fine Arts. "Art, Archaeology and Architecture." . ARTstor, n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.
"Donatello’s David." ItalianRenaissance.org. Italian Renaissance, n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.