Donatello 1 Previous Viewed Previous Viewed

Index 1.Donatello in BrevisDonatello in Brevis 2.Donatello e GhibertiDonatello e Ghiberti 3.Donatello e BrunelleschiDonatello e Brunelleschi 4.Il Primo DavideIl Primo Davide 5.La Statua di San MarcoLa Statua di San Marco 6.L’Evoluzione Artistica di DonatelloL’Evoluzione Artistica di Donatello 7.Magdalena PenitentMagdalena Penitent 2 Previous Viewed Previous Viewed

Goals At the end of this lesson the learner will be able to: 1.State during which historical period Donatello was born. 2.State to which guild Donatello initially apprenticed. 3.State the relationship between Donatello and Ghiberti. 1.State the name of the famous Florentine work by Ghiberti that Donatello had worked on during his apprentice period. 4.Discuss the first David by Donatello 5.Discuss Donatello’s artistic maturation using as examples: 1.The statue of San Mark 2.The Bronze statue of the David 3.The equestrian statue of Erasmo da Narni. 6.Discuss Donatello’s final work: The Magdalena Penitent 3 Previous Viewed Previous Viewed

Donatello: La Vita e La Sua Arte Donatello: His Life and His Art 4 Previous Viewed Previous Viewed

Donatello: In Brevis Born in Florence, Italy, around 1386, his friends and family gave him the nickname “Donatello.” Donatello apprenticed early with well-known sculptors and quickly learned the Gothic style. Before he was 20, he was receiving commissions for his work. Over his career he developed a style of lifelike, highly emotional sculptures and a reputation second only to Michelangelo's. 5 Previous Viewed Previous Viewed

Donatello e Ghiberti Donatello probably first received artistic training from a local goldsmith. He learned metallurgy and the fabrication of metals and other substances. In 1403, he apprenticed with Florence metalsmith and sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti. A few years later, Ghiberti was commissioned to create the bronze doors for the Baptistery of the Florence Cathedral. Donatello assisted Ghiberti in creating the cathedral doors. 6 Previous Viewed Previous Viewed Porte di Paradiso: Ghiberti

Donatello e Brunelleschi There are accounts by some historians that Donatello and Brunelleschi; Ghiberti’s rival for the commission of the Baptistery doors; struck up a friendship around 1407 and traveled to Rome to study classical art. The experience gave Donatello a deep understanding of ornamentation and classic forms, important knowledge that would eventually change the face of 15th-century Italian art. 7 Il Duomo di Brunelleschi

Il Primo Davide di Donatello By 1408, Donatello was back in Florence at the workshops of the cathedral. That year, he completed the life-sized marble sculpture David. The figure follows a Gothic style, popular at the time, with long graceful lines and an expressionless face. The work reflects the influences of sculptors of the time. Technically, it's very well executed, but it lacks the emotional style and innovative technique that would mark Donatello’s later work. 8 Previous Viewed Previous Viewed

Il San Marco Rapidly maturing in his art, Donatello soon began to develop a style all his own, with figures much more dramatic and emotional. Between 1411 and 1413, he sculpted the marble figure St. Mark, placed in an exterior niche of the Orsanmichele Church. 9 Previous Viewed Previous Viewed

L’Evoluzione Artisitca di Donatello By 1415 Donatello was gaining a reputation for creating imposing, larger-than-life figures using innovative techniques and extraordinary skills, with figures much more dramatic and emotional. His style incorporated the new science of perspective, which allowed the sculptor to create figures that occupied measurable space. Before this time, European sculptors used a flat background upon which figures were placed. Donatello also drew heavily from reality for inspiration in his sculptures, accurately showing suffering, joy and sorrow in his figures’ faces and body positions. 10 Previous Viewed Previous Viewed

Il Davide di Bronzo Donatello had nurtured a close and lucrative relationship with Cosimo de’ Medici in Florence. In 1430, the eminent art patron commissioned Donatello to do another statue of David, this time in bronze. This is probably Donatello’s most famous work. The sculpture is fully independent from any architectural surroundings that might support it. Standing a little over five feet tall, David represents an allegory of civic virtue triumphing over brutality and irrationality. 11 Previous Viewed Previous Viewed

I Due Davide 12 Previous Viewed Previous Viewed

Statua Equestre: Erasmo da Narni In 1443, Donatello was called to the city of Padua by the family of the famous mercenary Erasmo da Narni, who had died earlier that year. In 1450, Donatello completed a bronze statue called Gattamelata, showing Erasmo riding a horse in full battle dress, minus a helmet. This was the first equestrian statue cast in bronze since the Romans. The sculpture created some controversy, as most equestrian statues were reserved for rulers or kings, not mere warriors. This work became the prototype for other equestrian monuments created in Italy and Europe in the following centuries. 13 Previous Viewed Previous Viewed

Magdalena Penitent 14 Previous Viewed Previous Viewed By 1455, Donatello had returned to Florence and completed Magdalene Penitent, a statue of a gaunt-looking Mary Magdalene. Commissioned by the convent at Santa Maria di Cestello, the work was probably intended to provide comfort and inspiration to the repentant prostitutes at the convent. Donatello continued his work taking on commissions from wealthy patrons of the arts. His lifelong friendship with the Medici family earned him a retirement allowance to live on the rest of his life. He died of unknown causes on December 13, 1466, in Florence and was buried in the Basilica of San Lorenzo, next to Cosimo de' Medici.

La penultima opera donatelliana 15 Previous Viewed Previous Viewed

Goals 1.During which historical period was Donatello? 2.To which guild was Donatello initially apprenticed? 3.State the relationship between Donatello and Ghiberti. 4.What famous Florentine work by Ghiberti did Donatello work on during his apprentice period? 5.The first David by Donatello consisted of what material? 1.List two things about this David. 6.Discuss Donatello’s artistic maturation using as examples by contrasting the first David with the second. 7.What effect did the equestrian statue of Erasmo da Narni have in the artistic world? 8.Name Donatello’s final work. 1.Why, in your opinion, is this final work representational of Donatello’s artistic maturation? 9.Explain what effect this work has on you. 16 Previous Viewed Previous Viewed

Resources Donatello Bio 17

Congratulations, you have finished the lesson. 18