History of World Art II: Day 27

Donatello: The First Modern Sculptor

Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi (c. 1386 – 1466), also known as Donatello. He was an early Renaissance Italian artist and sculptor from Florence. His bas-relief work or shallow relief sculpture was something that he became well known for (in addition to his sculpture) in which he incorporated such 15th century developments as perspective and painterly illusions that set the depth of a scene.

Donatello was one of the most creative and skilled sculptors of the Renaissance and perhaps of all time. His theme was human life itself. Centuries after his death he continues to influence and inspire modern sculptors. He moved artists out of medieval times and into the modern world. He was influenced by classical statues, but for their extreme realism; he was to be criticized later in the Renaissance for not be classical enough in his style and for portraying things too realistically. Donatello was an assistant to Ghiberti when he completed the Florence Baptistery east doors and it was believed that he also submitted an entry to win the commission himself.

He was a Renaissance man who worked to tame the twin horses of the soul, passion and reason, ideas that came from Plato. He used calm realism and focused on the life in the stone that his art was created from. He came from a working class background but it was believed that he was educated in the monastic way, by dedicating his life to art and renouncing marriage, evidence of this, there are no records that he ever married.

In his relief work he drew in the marble with his chisel, taking carving which was almost a craftsman's job and turning it into a true art form. His focus was on effect not smoothness.