English/ Western Civilizations 10 Pre-IB.
Donatello and His Art Revolution.
"Our Glory is all the greater since we, with neither precursors nor models, are creating arts and sciences of a kind never seen or heard of before" (Alberti qtd. in Poeschke). In the Early Renaissance, artists and scholars were incorporating the values and ideals of Ancient Rome and Greece into the growth that became important concepts of the High Renaissance. Donatello made his own place during a time when sculpture was in transition from Gothic traditionalism to classical realism. During the Gothic period, art and sculpture depicted Christian ideas. In Donatello's lifetime (1386? -1466), the patrons of sculpture were still primarily interested in church purposes, but the new trends in style were being influenced by realism. This stylistic realism drew strongly from classical forms to depict human endeavors and emotions. Donatello developed artistic trends appearing at the time by expanding on the humanistic qualities, mastering the depiction of realistic expression and perspective in his sculptures, and refusing to compromise his ideals for the sake of conventional patrons. The church's hold on daily life and thought was changing. Even though Donatello was not the only influential artist of the time, some others were Nanni di Banco, Ghiberti, and Brunelleschi; Donatello led them in revolutionizing the ideals of art. .
In conformance to virtually every other aspect of Renaissance culture, Donatello was a humanist. Webster tells us that humanism is the "[.] study of classical Greek and Latin literature and culture during the Middle Ages and was one of the factors giving rise to the Renaissance [.] characterized by an emphasis on human interests rather than on the natural world or religion"(707). Donatello did first hand research of the Ancient Roman styles. After his friend, Brunelleschi, lost the competition for the commission of the Florentine Baptistery, the two of them went to Rome.