Donatello, equestrian statue. Renaissance sculptors. Monument to Gattamelata

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The era of the Italian Renaissance was in many ways like a breath of fresh air after the heaviness and gloom of the Middle Ages. The country, which was the heir to the Holy Roman Empire, fully justified this status by giving the world a huge number of brilliant creators. The Italian Renaissance was the heyday of all kinds of arts, from architecture to music. Sculpture rightfully occupied one of the leading places in this process. And the main creator, who for many decades determined the development of sculpture, was the great Donatello. But first things first.

Woke up from a long sleep

In the Middle Ages, sculpture was an integral part of architecture and was not conceived as a separate art direction. With the beginning of the Renaissance, everything changes: it begins to act in architectural ensembles as complementary, but still separate elements. One of the first among the many branches of art, sculpture turned its face to reality and the life of mere mortals, moving away from religious content. Of course, Christian subjects remain in the center of attention of artists, but more and more often theyappeal to contemporaries.

New genres appear: the portrait develops, equestrian statues appear. Sculpture becomes the central part of architectural ensembles, changing the meaning and placing accents - moving away from a secondary role. New materials are emerging. Wood is replaced by marble and bronze. In northern Italy, terracotta statues (from baked clay) were made in large numbers. With the filing of Lorenzo Ghiberti, the technique of glazed terracotta began to spread. Masters quickly fell in love with bronze with its impressive set of advantages over other materials.

Renaissance sculptors

The already named Lorenzo Ghiberti worked in the 15th century and was among the first artists to turn to realism. The central place in his activity throughout his life (1378-1455) was occupied by the problem of creating a picturesque monumental relief. For more than twenty years, Ghiberti worked on the northern doors of the Florentine Baptistery. In the relief compositions created by the master, the legacy of the Gothic style was visible: the angularity of the frames and the rhythm of the composition echoing them refers precisely to this tradition. At the same time, a new vision of space, already characteristic of the Renaissance, is felt in the work.

Realistic style unfolded in full force on the east doors of the baptistery, on which Ghiberti worked for another twenty years. The depicted scenes are characterized by beauty and special liveliness: the figures are proportional, the landscape is replete with details, the lines are clearly drawn and distinguished by grace. The eastern gate of the baptistery is considered one of thesights of Florence and are a kind of symbol of the triumph of new trends in sculpture over the legacy of the past.

Another celebrated Renaissance Italian sculptor was Andrea del Verrocchio (1435–1488). He became the first teacher of the great Leonardo da Vinci, who showed his student many techniques in both sculpture and painting. However, almost no paintings by Verrocchio have been preserved, which cannot be said about his sculptures.

One of his famous creations is the statue of David, for which, according to legend, the model was a brilliant student of the master. This claim, however, is highly questionable. Something else is undeniable - David Verrocchio clearly shows where da Vinci took many of his favorite tricks: lush angelic curls, a special position of the body and the famous half-smile.

The main work of Verrocchio was the equestrian monument to the condottiere Bartolomeo Colleoni. The statue reflected many trends of Renaissance art: the desire to convey the form in its entirety, the influence of anatomy on sculpture, the desire to convey emotions and movement in a frozen figure.

First among equals

The sculptors of the Renaissance, with their search for a new style and appeal to the almost forgotten Antiquity, would still look like an unfinished painting, if Donatello were not among them. The great master can, without a doubt, be called a pioneer, so many innovations appeared in sculpture thanks to him. Without him, the Renaissance would have lost a lot: Donatello found a solution to the problem of sustainablestaging a figure, learned to convey the heaviness, mass and integrity of the body, the first after the ancient masters created a nude statue and began to create sculptural portraits. He was a recognized creator during his lifetime and influenced the development of art of an entire era.

The start of the journey

Donatello, whose biography does not contain the exact date of birth (presumably 1386), came from a family of a craftsman, a wool comber. He was born presumably in Florence or its environs. Donatello's full name is Donato di Niccolò di Betty Bardi.

The future famous Italian sculptor was trained in the workshop of Ghiberti at the time when he was working on the creation of the north gate of the baptistery. Probably, it was here that Donatello met the architect Brunelleschi, with whom he maintained a friendship throughout his life.

The rapid development of skills led to the fact that already in 1406 the young Donatello received an independent order. He was commissioned to create a statue of the prophet for the portal of the Florence Cathedral.

Marble David

Donatello, whose works already in the first years of his work reflected the bright personality of the author, received a new one soon after the order was completed. In 1407-1408 he worked on a marble statue of King David. The sculpture is not yet as perfect as the later image of the biblical hero, made by the master, but already it reflects the aspirations and searches of the creator. David is not depicted in a classical form: a wise king with a lyre or a scroll in his hands. But like a young man who has just wonGoliath and proud of his feat. The statue resembles the images of ancient heroes: David rests with one hand on his thigh, his opponent's head rests at his feet, soft folds of clothes are wrapped around his body. And although the marble statue still contains echoes of the Gothic, its belonging to the Renaissance is undeniable.

Or San Michele

Donatello strove to create his works, taking into account not only the harmony of proportions and the general construction of the figure, but also the features of the place where the statue will be placed. His creations looked most advantageous exactly where they were placed after completion. It seemed as if they had always been there. At the same time, the work of Donatello, as his talent improved, more and more moved away from the Gothic canons and medieval depersonalization. The images he created acquired bright individual features, expressiveness was often achieved through incorrect features.

All these nuances of the master's creativity are perfectly visible in the images of saints that he created for the church of Or San Michele. The statues were installed in niches, but they seemed to be complete independent sculptures that harmoniously fit into the architecture of the church and did not depend on it. The figures of St. Mark (1411–1412) and St. George (1417) stand out especially among them. In the image of the first Donatello, he managed to convey the tireless and stormy work of thought under the cover of complete external calm. When creating the statue, the master turned to the ancient method of stable positioning of the figure. The curves of the torso and arms, as well as the location of the folds of clothing - everything is subject to this technique.

Saint George is depicted as a young man in armor, leaning on a shield, with a soulful, determined face. This is the embodied ideal of the hero, who was equally in tune with both the era and Donatello himself.

Bronze David

All researchers agree that one of the greatest creations of Donatello was David, a sculpture cast in bronze (presumably 1430-1440s). Vasari, the first art critic, wrote that it was commissioned by Cosimo de' Medici, but there is no other evidence confirming this fact.

David is a non-standard sculpture. Continuing the embodiment of his plan, laid down in the marble David, Donatello depicts the biblical hero as young with the head of a just defeated Goliath at his feet. The similarity, however, ends there. Bronze David is not just young, he is young. Donatello depicted him naked, carefully working out all the curves of the boy's strong, but not yet fully formed body. From clothes only a shepherd's hat with a laurel wreath and sandals with greaves. To set the figure, the master used the technique of contraposta. The whole weight of the body is transferred to the right foot, while with the left David tramples on the head of the enemy. This technique achieves a feeling of relaxation of the posture, rest after the fight. The internal dynamics inherent in the figure is well read due to the deviation of the body from the central axis of the sculpture and the position of the sword.

Bronze David is designed as a statue that can beconsider from all sides. It was the first nude sculpture since Antiquity. The heritage of the masters of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome is felt in the whole figure of the hero. At the same time, the features inherent in sculpture are filled with a bright personality and are thus the embodiment of the ideals of the Renaissance.

Inspired by the Eternal City

The master brought his skills to perfection during a trip to Rome. From the city that keeps the heritage of the great empire, Donatello brought a deep understanding of ancient canons and stylistic devices. Donatello used the results of the rethinking of ancient Greek and Roman art in the process of creating the pulpit of the Florence Cathedral, on which he worked from 1433 to 1439. Probably, it was in the Eternal City that Donatello came up with a new idea: the equestrian statue of the condottiere Erasmo da Narni, according to many researchers, was conceived after meeting with the ancient monument to Marcus Aurelius.

Hero

Erasmo da Narni was a Venetian condottiere, a mercenary commander. His fate, not distinguished by special heroic plot twists, nevertheless inspired Donatello. Gattamelata (translated as "Honey Cat") - this nickname was given to the condottiere for his softness of character and at the same time attentiveness and insinuatingness, reminiscent of the behavior of a cat on a hunt. He started his career from the bottom and, by honestly serving Florence, managed to achieve a lot. In recent years, Gattamelata served as commander-in-chief of the land forces of the Venetian Republic. After his death, the condottiere bequeathed to buryhim in the Basilica del Santo in Padua. Gattamelata died in 1443.

Triumph of Donatello: equestrian statue of Erasmo da Narni

The Venetian Republic, remembering the merits of the military leader, allowed his widow and son to erect a monument to the condottiere at their own expense. The embodiment of this idea and engaged in Donatello. The equestrian statue was created by him for ten years, from 1443 to 1453.

A three-meter statue, according to the master's plan, was installed on an eight-meter pedestal. The dimensions of the sculpture were the result of a certain idea by Donatello: the equestrian statue was to be placed against the backdrop of a huge cathedral, and only under the condition of its own impressiveness could it look like an integral and independent work. The monument was placed in such a way that it seemed as if it was leaving the cathedral and slowly moving away.

The pedestal is decorated with images of doors ajar on the east side and locked on the west side. This symbol has a certain interpretation: you can enter the realm of the dead, but you cannot leave it. The doors are reminiscent of the original purpose of the monument, superbly executed by Donatello. Gattamelata on horseback was supposed to rise in the cemetery of the cathedral. The monument was an original cenotaph, a tombstone - and here Donatello showed his penchant for innovation.

Man of the era

The condottiere depicted by Donatello is a confident and full of strength, but already an elderly man. In his left hand he holds a rod, in his right hand he holds the reins. He embodies inimagine the image of a Renaissance hero: not seething with passion, but rethinking life - a warrior-thinker, who probably absorbed the features of Donatello himself. The statue of the condottiere Gattamelata is at the same time an excellent example of the sculptor's portrait skill. His face is unmistakable: a hooked nose, a clear mouth line, a small chin and prominent cheekbones.

The robe of a military leader is evidence of the desire to give him the features of the heroes of Antiquity. Gattamelata is dressed not in modern clothes by Donatello, but in the armor of the times of Ancient Rome. Presumably, it was the chasing of the details of the vestment that took the master the longest time. However, in the process of creating a monument, Donatello faced many tasks: it was necessary to create a harmonious transition from the figure of a condottiere to a horse, to place accents to create the necessary impression. The solution of these and other issues required time. The result of such thoughtful and long work justified all the costs.

Donatello highly appreciated his work, and his contemporaries accepted it. This is evidenced by the signature of the master, which he did not leave on all of his works. The monument to the condottiere Gattamelata inspired many sculptors of subsequent eras (for example, Andrea del Verrocchio, already mentioned above).

Judith

Another fine example of Donatello's craftsmanship was the statue "Judith and Holofernes", created in 1455-1457. The work illustrates the Old Testament story of a widow from Vetilui, who bravely killed the Assyrian commander Holofernes in order to saveyour city from conquest. A fragile woman with a detached look and a face full of sorrow holds a sword in her hand held high, preparing to cut off the head of the intoxicated Holofernes leaning limply at her feet.

"Judith and Holofernes" is one of the variants of the legends about female heroism popular in the Renaissance. Donatello put all his skill into this work and managed to convey both the gamut of feelings of Judith and the symbolism of the image as a whole. The most expressive part of the composition is the face of the widow. It is worked out so carefully that it seems alive. When looking at Judith, created by Donatello, it is very easy to understand what emotions she experienced. The subtle skill of giving expressive features to the face, characteristic of the master, was fully applied by Donatello in this particular sculpture.

The great Donatello died in 1466. In the last years of his life, the motifs of old age, death and suffering clearly dominated in his work. During this period, Mary Magdalene Donatello appeared - not a girl bursting with beauty and full of strength, but an old woman exhausted by fasting and feeling the weight of her years. However, in these and earlier works, the spirit of the brilliant sculptor is still alive and continues to inspire and excite.