The artworks of the Renaissance period are some of the most known pieces today. Early Italian Renaissance art might not be as popular as the Northern Renaissance art, but it is still well known around the world. "Like the Flemish artists, Italian painters and sculptors increasingly focused their attention on rendering the illusion of physical reality." (p. 594, Stockstad) They used liner perspective to make lifelike but idealized artworks. I really enjoyed learning about the different works of art, but I was very surprised at the large amount of nude art that was made during this time period, and it was repeated in excessive artworks.
One of the most successful and admired sculptors of the Italian Renaissance, Donatello, worked with several different media to create beautiful artworks. He worked with stone, wood, as well as with bronze. Donatello mainly focused on the human emotions and expressions to capture them in his sculptures.
One particular statue made by Donatello which stood out to me was the statue of David, c. 1446-1460. (right) This sculpture is made of bronze and stands 5 feet and 4 1/4 inches tall. David was the first life-size male nude that Donatello produced. I was very surprised that the young shepherd was portrayed in a nude form. "Although the statue draws on the Classical tradition of heroic nudity, the meaning of this attractive, young boy in a shepherds hat and boots had long stimulated curiosity." (p. 604, Stockstad) From everything that I have learned about young David from the Bible, what stood out to me most were his strength and heroic actions. They started from the killing of the lion that tried to attack Davids fathers herd of sheep, to the killing of Goliath during his adolescent life, before he became king. In Davids left hand, which is resting on the boys hip, there is a round stone, one of the five stones that he had picked to kill Goliath. In his right hand the boy holds a sword with which he had beheaded Goliath, whose head can be seen in front of Davids left foot. The helmet on the head of the giant has wings, one of which is resting against Davids right inner thigh. I don't understand why, upon seeing this, some art historians "stressed an overt homo-eroticism." Just because this sculpture portrays one mans helmets wings being too close to the boys nudity does not mean that David was homosexual. All I see in the statue is a victorious young boy, who looks a little surprised and maybe even intimidated by what he sees lying at his feet. After all, this was a battle against a mighty army that was unbeatable by any other nation, and yet, here comes this young boy and takes out one of the fiercest soldiers of their army with just one round stone. Without looking at too much detail in this sculpture, other viewers might have gotten a similar feeling that, between Davids angular pose and boyish torso, the boy seems to be stuck between his childish interests and the adult responsibility that now fell on his shoulders. I have to agree with the other viewers. David is the perfect image of young heroism.
One particular statue made by Donatello which stood out to me was the statue of David, c. 1446-1460. (right) This sculpture is made of bronze and stands 5 feet and 4 1/4 inches tall. David was the first life-size male nude that Donatello produced. I was very surprised that the young shepherd was portrayed in a nude form. "Although the statue draws on the Classical tradition of heroic nudity, the meaning of this attractive, young boy in a shepherds hat and boots had long stimulated curiosity." (p. 604, Stockstad) From everything that I have learned about young David from the Bible, what stood out to me most were his strength and heroic actions. They started from the killing of the lion that tried to attack Davids fathers herd of sheep, to the killing of Goliath during his adolescent life, before he became king. In Davids left hand, which is resting on the boys hip, there is a round stone, one of the five stones that he had picked to kill Goliath. In his right hand the boy holds a sword with which he had beheaded Goliath, whose head can be seen in front of Davids left foot. The helmet on the head of the giant has wings, one of which is resting against Davids right inner thigh. I don't understand why, upon seeing this, some art historians "stressed an overt homo-eroticism." Just because this sculpture portrays one mans helmets wings being too close to the boys nudity does not mean that David was homosexual. All I see in the statue is a victorious young boy, who looks a little surprised and maybe even intimidated by what he sees lying at his feet. After all, this was a battle against a mighty army that was unbeatable by any other nation, and yet, here comes this young boy and takes out one of the fiercest soldiers of their army with just one round stone. Without looking at too much detail in this sculpture, other viewers might have gotten a similar feeling that, between Davids angular pose and boyish torso, the boy seems to be stuck between his childish interests and the adult responsibility that now fell on his shoulders. I have to agree with the other viewers. David is the perfect image of young heroism.
"David was a political image in Florence, symbolizing the citizens resolve to oppose tyrants, regardless of their superior power, since virtue brings divine support and preternatural strength." (p. 604, Stockstad) Even though nothing is known about the circumstances of its creation, I think that Donatellos purpose behind this sculpture of David was to show others that everything is possible for those who try and believe in a positive outcome of their actions. Just like it became possible for young David to kill a giant with a stone.
I think it is very interesting how Donatello and other artists of the Early Renaissance utilize the contrapposto weight shift to create more lifelike artwork. The way David stands in this sculpture is much more realistic than earlier artwork in which humans stand unnaturally straight. This stance exemplifies the interest in humanism throughout this period. Great blog!
ReplyDeleteHannah Bennett
I do like how you pointed out the difference between idealized form versus realistic form. Another thing that I enjoyed that you pointed out was the resurgence of the greek classic male hero form. It's quite interesting that the division of of a couple hundred miles can cause a big rift between realized and idealized human form.
ReplyDeleteNot only does Donatello employ the classical use of the contrapposto stance but he also shows a renewed interest in studying the human form. He doesn't try to hide the male form underneath garments but instead emphasizes David's strength by showing his well defined muscles and his lean figure. Even though it is apparent that he is young in the details of the narrow hips, waist, and torso and his long lean legs, it shows the potential strength of the body when he because a full grown man.
ReplyDeleteNormally I would probably be very confused and a little weird-ed out by the fact that this is clearly a younger boy, rather than a full grown man who is naked. But after reading your post and learning about the history of the piece I can understand better why he isn't wearing any clothes, not only does it makes sense but it really adds to the beauty of it. It has so much expression as a whole and I think it represents David's character very very well. I'm shocked to see how big it is in real life, I think it would make a great smaller piece as well, maybe under a lamp on an end table???
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