Donatello
By AJ Mazzella
Donatello's life
Donatello was born in Florence Italy in the year 1386. He spent most of his teen and adult life in Pisa and Rome as an artist. He trained in the shop of Ghiberti, with Nanni di Banco on the Porta della Mandorla of the Cathedral of Florence, and on independent commissions for buttress figures of the Cathedral. As an artist he would create many sculptors out of bronze and other metals, for example he created, Judith and Holofernes and the Cathedral of Florence. Donatello represented catholicism and classicalism because most of his artworks are very classical and mainly represented jesus christ and his trials in life.
Donatello's Early and Middle years of life
Unlike many of his contemporaries, Donatello's youth was not spent watching and learning his craft. He preferred instead to take the basics he learned from the Stonemasons' Guild and expound upon them in ways that pleased him. He was apprenticed only briefly to Ghiberti, choosing to strike out on his own before age 17.
Donatello's Later years of life
Donatello returned to Florence during his elder years and spent his time working and building sculptors for many churches throughout the city. Most notably the San Lorenzo Church. Once he reached the end of his life he finished teaching his students and then moved on and passed away.
Donatello's Artwork
Donatello was a great sculptor and was very precise when creating his works of art. He mainly created sculptors of people in his regular life, and as Donatello's career progressed, his style became much more dramatic and emotional. He drew heavily on reality for inspiration, determined to accurately reproduce suffering, anguish, joy and many other human emotions.
Citations
"Donatello." World Eras. Ed. Norman J. Wilson. Vol. 1: European Renaissance and Reformation, 1350-1600. Detroit: Gale Group, 2001. Biography in Context. Web. 12 Nov. 2013.
"Donatello." International Dictionary of Art and Artists. Gale, 1990. Biography in Context. Web. 12 Nov. 2013.
http://www.artble.com/artists/donatell
http://itemb.deviantart.com/art/Portrait-of-Donatello-370138979
http://www.3pipe.net/2010/03/donatellos-david-how-to-banish-dark.html