The Renaissance was a defining period in the history of art, as it gave the world new genres, styles and notably liberated bohemia from the clerical influence. Donatello (Donato di Betti Bardi), the son of craftsman, whose educated consisted of the training at goldsmith’s house, became one of the prominent sculptors of the 15th century, owing to his natural gift and willpower (Rea, p.9). He probably represents the self-made man of art, extolled and glorified by the circle of artists, sculptors and poets. Donatello dedicated the main part of his life to transforming his native Florence into the truly magnificent city and creating the atmosphere of freedom, humanity and appreciation of human excellence.
Due to the fact the Renaissance was marked with the return to the natural ancient forms of representing humans, one of the most famous and antiquity—oriented works of Donatello is the statue of David. This work is known as the first free-standing statue (Hofricher, Roberts, Simon et al, p.533). Young David is an adolescent boy, holding a sword in his rights hand and stone in the left, so that it seems like he has already defeated Goliath. David’s hat and boots emphasize his sensuous nudity and the beauty of his strong and young body. Donatello’s and Cosimo Medici’s decision to use relatively expensive bronze as a material for this life-size statue can be justified, as the young man looks like a tanned human, not divine hero (god’s figures were commonly made of marble or lighter materials). As a Renaissance artwork, David is significant due to the fact it emphasizes human freedom and beauty of a common man. Since David is a free-standing statue, the figure is seen from every side. Whereas in the earlier periods, statues served as a decoration of temples and palaces and were viewed rather as a means, David can be categorized as a more “independent” sculpture. The liberation of human statues from temple walls might symbolize the separation of the secular from the clerical which took place approximately at the same time, and Donatello was first to reflect this tendency in a creative and symbolic way. Furthermore, notwithstanding the fact that David is a popular and commonly admired Biblical character, he is not actually a saint or a prophet; he is known simply for defeating huge and monstrous man named Goliath merely by the power of his hope, courage and dexterity. Thus, the sculpture communicates a powerful message that each person’s success depends fully on their confidence and hard work, rather than on the kindness of the supernatural forces. Moreover, it needs to be noted that the boy looks like a common rather than a noble person, and his dark and perfectly fit body is indeed beautiful. Thus, the symbolic message of this artwork is intended first and foremost for the members of the social class Donatello belonged to in his earlier years, whom he obviously sought to support and empower.
One of Donatello’s most intriguing works is Maria Magdalen, which “demonstrates Donatello’s range as a sculptor, as he explores the expressive possibilities of another sculpted medium” (Hofricher, Roberts, Simon et al, p.526). According to the Scriptures, Magdalen was one of the most committed and faithful follower of the Christ, as Jesus actually saved her from marginalization and death and gave her a new sense of existence. This legendary personality settled in the desert in the end of her life and spent her last days in repentance as a hermit. As the artwork is commonly believed to be created by Donatello in his old age (Hofricher, Roberts, Simon et al, p.526), it to great extent reflects the emotional state associated with the last days of human being in this world. As opposed to the Medieval period, when emotion expression in art was strictly regulated by the church, Donatello’s artwork represents the rich gamma of human emotions and feelings, from bliss, delight and content to the sense of guilt and sadness associated with the necessity of leaving this world soon. Although this woman appears to be old, weak, emaciated and dressed in rugs, she is a quintessence of human productivity and self-actualization. Magdalen changed herself once for the sake of the humankind’s salvation and became one the first early church builders. Thus, her dignity and excellence consists in her absolute altruism and devotion to the common goal of the first Christians. As her death is approaching, Madgalen is ready to meet it without fear, anxiety and regret, but the words of prayer on her lips. This idea of fearless, confident ageing might have been coined by Donatello, as the Middle Ages were marked with the promotion of god-fearing senescence. In terms of the style, the artwork seems like an experiment with different textures, as Donatello thoroughly sculptured each crease and scratch on her face, hair and clothes so the figure doesn’t look stylized, like the typical Renaissance sculptures, but rather resembles a real hermit.
One more follower of Jesus Christ, Saint Mark, was perpetuated by Donatello in marble” (Hofricher, Roberts, Simon et al, p.509). One of the distinctive features of the work is the perfect carriage the Apostle has, in spite of his simply and unpretentious clothing. His loose clothing and pensive face make him resemble an Ancient philosopher rather than the Founder of Christianity in Africa. Moreover, his curled bears and well-arranged hair create the same impression, as most Ancient Greek and Rome sculptures had beautiful wavy hair, similarly regular features and confident gaze. Although Mark is a Biblical figure, whose primary traits were probably faith and piousness, Donatello obviously distracted form the idea of ascetic-looking man with humility in his eyes and instead created a true coloss of his epoch, a bold pioneer who sought to bring enlightenment and knowledge to the African continent. Donatello was probably among the first sculptors who created smiling characters. It is possible to identify a very slight encouraging smile on the face of the saint which fills his face with radiance and makes him resemble a true teacher of God’s word and missionary, characterized by tolerance and mercy. Due to the fact that the statue was “built into” the wall of the church known as Or San Michele (Hofricher, Roberts, Simon et al, p.509), it instilled pride of the religion in the Florentine parishioners and suggested a Renaissance understanding of God as a caring and forgiving force.
One more jewel of Or San Michele, the sculpture of Saint George Tabernacle, shows a prominent defender of Christianity. At the first sight, the figure resembles an ancient statue of the Roman emperor, as the saint is depicted with classical Roman patterns like stylization and ideally regular features of the face. Saint George Tabernacle is dressed in the armour and holds a huge shield, which might serve as a powerful symbol of the resistibility and strength of Christians.
As one can conclude, Donatello is famous for giving Florentines a sense of identity through depicting the Biblical saints and characters from the ancient perspective. As the analysis of the sculptor’s works suggests, Donatello’s genius consists in the combination of the unique professional skill and symbolism of his works, all of which to certain extent convinced Florentines in the excellence of human body and intrinsic “goodness” of human nature. The legendary and historical figures, sculptured by Donatello, can also serve as role models of courage, productivity and commitment to the religious values the saint defended, so the artworks of Donatello are the city’s symbols and pride, which have inspired many generations of Florentines.
Works cited
- Davies, P., Denny, W., Hofricher, F., Jacobs, J., Roberts, A. and Simon, D. Janson’s History of Art: The Western Tradition. Prentice Hall, 2006.
- Rea, H. Donatello. Read Books, 2007.