Donatello di Niccolò Bardi
By: Jack Flanagan
Biography
Donatello di Niccolò Bardi was born in Florence, Italy during 1836. He lived in Florence, Italy for his whole life, where he was an apprentice to the famous sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti. Donatello was raised as a plebeian, or a member of the middle-class. He created sculptures for a living. Some of his pieces included David, St. George and the Dragon, and Marzocco. His patron was Cosimo de' Medici.
David
The name of this piece is David. It was in sculpted 1432. It now sits in the Museo Nazionale del Bargello in Florence, Italy. What is so significant about this piece is that it was the first work of art, since Ancient Rome, that is focused on a completely naked man. I find this piece interesting because it was made to honor a biblical character, David from the story of David and Goliath, yet goes against many of the teaching of the Church, for example: people should be kept fully clothed. This piece represents individualism because of how there is a head at the base of the statue, the head of Goliath. This statue focuses on David's achievement, and it shows the power of man. Finally, he is looking away, which shows the freedom of expression that is usually represented in individualism.
Bibliography
- "Donatello." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Biography in Context. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
Haber, Katharine. "Donatello." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
- Lessing, Erich. David by Donatello. 1408. Art, Archaeology and Architecture (Erich Lessing Culture and Fine Arts Archives), Museo Nazionale del Bargello in Florence.ARTstor. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.