Sculptor Donatello: biography, work, photo

Donatello is an Italian sculptor who is a representative of the early Renaissance, the Florentine school. About his life and works we will talk in this article. The biography of this author is not known in detail, therefore it is possible to present it only briefly.

Brief biographical information about the sculptor Donatello

The future sculptor Donatello was born in Florence in 1386, in the family of Niccolo di Betto Bardi - a rich wool combder. He studied in 1403-1407 in the workshop of a man named Lorenzo Ghiberti. Here he mastered, in particular, the technique of bronze casting. The work of this sculptor was greatly influenced by the acquaintance with another great man - Filippo Brunelleschi. Ghiberti and Brunnelski remained for life a close friend of the master.

Giorgio Vasari said that the sculptor Donatello was a very generous man, very polite, treated his friends very well, did not attach any importance to money. His students and friends took from him as much as they needed.

Early period of creativity

The activity of this sculptor in the early period, in the 1410s, was connected with the communal orders that he was given to decorate various public buildings in Florence. For the building of Or San Michele (its facade) Donatello performs the statue of St. George (from 1415 to 1417) and St. Mark (from 1411 to 1413). In 1415 he completed the statue of St. John the Evangelist, adorned the Florentine Cathedral.

The construction commission in the same year for the decoration of the campaigners instructed Donatello to perform the statues of the prophets. Over their creation, the master worked for almost two decades (from 1416 to 1435). Five figures are in the museum of the cathedral. "David" and the statues of the prophets (approximately 1430-1432) are in many respects still connected with the late Late tradition that existed at the time. The abstract rhythm is subordinated to figures, faces are perfectly uniformly interpreted, bodies are covered with heavy clothes. But already in these creations he tries to convey the new ideal of his epoch - the heroic individual person - Donatello. The sculptor of the work created a variety of topics, in which this ideal manifests itself. This is especially noticeable in the depiction of St. Mark (1412), St. George (1415), as well as Habakkuk and Jeremiah (the years of creation - 1423-1426). Gradually, the forms become clear, the volumes become whole, the type expression of faces changes , the folds of the apparel envelop the body naturally, echo its movement and bends.

Tomb of John XXIII

Sculptor Donatello creates together with Michelozzo the tomb of John XXIII in the period from 1425 to 1427. It became a classic example used for later tombs dating back to the Renaissance. Long-term cooperation of these two sculptors begins precisely with this work.

Casting figures from bronze

Donatello in the beginning of 1420 refers to the casting of bronze figures. In this material, his first work is a statue of Louis Toulouse, which he was ordered in 1422 to decorate a niche in Or San Miquel. This is one of the most remarkable monuments, which reflected the understanding of holiness as a personal feat, which dominated the Renaissance.

The Statue of David

The top of this master's work in bronze is the statue of David, created around 1430-1432. It is designed, in contrast to medieval sculpture, for a circular detour. Another innovation was the theme of nudity, which was addressed by Donatello. The sculptor David depicted naked, and not in robes, as was customary before, for the first time after the Middle Ages so realistic and on such a large scale.

Other works by Donatello relating to the 1410s - the beginning of the 1420s - the figure of a lion carved from sandstone - the emblem of Florence, a wooden crucifix for the church of Santa Croce, a bronze reliquary for the Church of Onisanti, a bronze statuette located in the National Museum of Florence under The name "Attis Amorino", which is, apparently, the image of the ancient fertility deity, Priapus.

Work in the technique of relief

Donatello's experiments in relief technique were also revolutionary. The desire for a realistic depiction of an illusory space leads the sculptor to create a flattened relief, where the impression of depth is produced by grading volumes. Strengthens the spatial illusion of using techniques of direct perspective. "Drawing" the chisel, the sculptor is like a picture artist painting. Let's mention here such works as "The Battle of George with the Dragon", "Madonna Pazzi", "Feast of Herod", "Ascension of Mary" and others. The architectural background in the picturesque reliefs of this master is depicted using the rules of direct perspective. He managed to make several spatial zones in which the characters are located.

Trip to Rome, the second Florentine period

Sculptor Donatello in the period from August 1432 to May 1433 is in Rome. Here he, together with Brunelleschi, measures the monuments of the city, studies ancient sculpture. Local people, according to legend, considered two friends treasure hunters. Roman impressions were reflected in such works as the tabernacle performed for the Capella del Sacramento by the order of Eugene IV (pope), "The Annunciation" (otherwise the Altar of Cavalcanti, see the photo below), the singing tribune of one of the Florentine cathedrals, and also the outer pulpit, Made for the cathedral in Prato (time of creation - 1434-1438).

Donatello achieves genuine classicism in the relief of the Feast of Herod, created upon his return from a trip to Rome.

Around 1440, the sculptor creates bronze doors, as well as eight medallions for the Florentine Old Sacristy of San Lorenzo (from 1435 to 1443). In the four reliefs sculpted from the knock, amazing freedom was achieved in the image of the interiors, buildings and figures of people.

The Paduan period

Donatello travels in 1443 to Padua. Here begins the next stage of his work. He performs the equestrian statue of Erasmo de Narni (statue of Gattamelata). Donatello cast it in 1447, and this work was installed a little later - in 1453-m. The image was a monument to Marcus Aurelius. Using the diagonal formed by the sword and the Gattamelata wand (the nickname Erasmo), as well as the positions of the hands, combined the figures of the horse and rider into a solid silhouette sculpted by Donatello. The sculptures created by him during this period are really magnificent. In addition to the above, he performs the altar of St. Anthony of Padua, as well as four reliefs depicting scenes from his life that are considered the peak of this master's work in a picturesque relief.

Even when Donatello depicts a real movement, as in the two statues of St. John the Baptist in Florence (in casa Martelli and in Bargello), he confined himself to the most modest. In both cases, St.. John is presented to the going, and every last finger on his foot participates in this movement. A new mystery was wrested from nature.

A distinctive feature of Donatello's skill is that this sculptor depicted with the same skill and energy, strength, sweetness and grace. So, for example, carved in 1434 bas-relief of a balcony from marble in the cathedral of Prato depicts semi-genius geniuses and children who play musical instruments and dance with flower wreaths. Their movements are extremely alive, playful and diverse. The same can be noted about other bas-reliefs made of marble, made for the Florentine Cathedral.

Donatello in the last years of his stay in Padua works little. Apparently, he is seriously ill. The sculptor returns in 1453 to Florence and continues to live here until his death (in 1466), with the exception of a short trip in 1457 to Siena.

Late Florentine period

A lot of questions are caused later by the work of Donatello. This sculptor in the later period of creativity created not so many interesting works. Sometimes speak of the decline of his skill, as well as the return to some gothic techniques. The sculpture of Donatello in the period from the 1450s to the beginning of the 1460s is represented by the statue of Mary Magdalene (1455, photo below) made of wood, the group "Judith and Holofernes", the statue of John the Baptist, reliefs on the themes of the Resurrection and the Passion of Christ Two Chairs in the Church of San Lorenzo. In these works, the tragic theme that Donatello develops predominates. The sculptor in the performance adhered to naturalism, which bordered on spiritual breakdown. A number of compositions were completed after the death of the master by his disciples - Bertholdo and Bellago.

The sculptor died in 1466. He was buried in the church of San Lorenzo, which is decorated with his works, with great honors. This concludes Donatello's creative path. The sculptor, whose biography and works were presented in this article, played a significant role in world architecture. We will note, in what it consisted.

The meaning of this master's work

Donatello was a key figure in the history of Renaissance plastics. It was he who first began to study systematically the mechanism of movement of the human body, depicted a complex mass action, began to interpret clothes in connection with the plasticity of the body and movement, set the task of expressing an individual portrait in sculpture, and focused on the transmission of the psychic life of the characters. He perfected bronze casting and marble modeling. The three-dimensional relief, developed by him, indicated the ways of further development of sculpture, as well as painting.