preview

Donatello's Influence On The Renaissance

Decent Essays

The Renaissance was a period about the European history. It all began in the 14th-century with the style of painting, sculpturing, and decorative arts were identified before it emerged to Italy and then was spread to the rest of Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. It reached its highest point in the late 15th and early 16th centuries when the Italian masters like, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael arrived. This period was immediately followed by the Middle Ages in Europe where the artists were interested in the classical learning and values of the ancient Greece and Rome. The meaning of the word Renaissance means “rebirth”. It is the French translation of the Italian word rinascita. Why in Italy? Well Italy has the richest trading …show more content…

He was the greatest sculpture from Florentine before Michelangelo. Donatello’s principal works included the bronze David (c. 1430-35, Bargello, Florence), an image of the biblical hero with the head of Goliath at his feet. This figure was the first statue made since ancient times. The sculpture follows a gothic style, which was popular at that time. He also sculpted the marble figure St. Mark, which is an exterior of the Orsanmichele Church. Another major work he did was the marble Cantoria, or another name for it called the Singing Gallery (c. 1443–48, Museo dell’ Opera del Duomo, Florence). Donatello also worked in terra-cotta and wood. Last but not least, Lorenzo Ghiberti was best known as the creator of the bronze doors of the Baptistery of Florence. The doors showed various scenes from the Old Testament, but then it was later changed to include scenes from the New Testament. In His piece, each door contained 14 quatrefoil –framed scenes from the life of Christ, which are the evangelists and the church fathers. He added the linear grace of the early 15th century gothic style of Florence to the bronze doors to express the power of the new Renaissance

Get Access