Leonardo da VinciLeonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was a Florentine artist and consideredone of the great masters of the High Renaissance. He was a painter, sculptor,architect, engineer, and scientist. His innovations in the field of paintinginfluenced the course of Italian art for more than a century after his death. Not onlywas his painting influenctual but also his scientific studies in the fields of anatomy,optics, and hydraulics.PaintingsLeonardo produced a relatively small number of paintings most of whichremained unfinished. In his early years, his style was compared to that ofVerrocchio. Leonardo's innovations were apparent in the The Last Supper, inwhich he re-created a traditional ...view middle of the document...
Leonardo anticipated many discoveries of moderntimes. In anatomy he studied the circulation of the blood and the action of the eye.He invented a large number of machines among them an underwater diving suit.Leonardo was a creator in art, a discoverer in science, and an inventor intechnology.Leonardo can be refered to as the title of Homo Universalis, Universal Man.DonatelloDonatello, real name DONATO DI NICCOLÒ DI BETTO BARDI (1386?-1466) was an Italian Renaissance sculptor. Donatello is considered one of thegreatest sculptors of all time and the founder of modern sculpture. Donatello wasborn in Florence, the son of a wool comber. When he was 17 years old, heassisted Lorenzo Ghiberti in constructing and decorating the bronze doors of thebaptistery of San Giovanni, Florence. Donatello was also a friend of the architectFilippo Brunelleschi.Donatello's career may be divided into three periods. The first periodbefore 1425, when his work was influenced of Gothic sculpture and also showssome classical and realisticstyles. His sculpture of this period are: the statues St.Mark (Church of Or San Michele, Florence), St. George (Bergello, Florence), Johnthe Evangelist (Opera del Duomo, Florence), and Joshua (campanile of thecathedral, Florence).The second period (1425-43) is characterized by a reliance on the modelsand principles of the sculpture of antiquity. From 1425 to 1435 Donatello workedwith the Florentine sculptor and architect Michelozzo on a number of projects,including the monument to Bartolomeo Aragazzi (Cathedral of Montepulciano). Intheir joint work Michelozzo executed the architectural designs and also helped inthe making of the bronze castings. From 1430 to 1433 Donatello spent periods inRome, where he created: The Basilica of Saint Peter, decorated with the reliefs,Worshiping Angels and Burial of Christ. It was in Florence that he created themost noted work of this period--the bronze David the first nude statue of theRenaissance.In his third and culminating period, Donatello broke away from classicalinfluence and in his work emphasized realism and the portrayal of character andof dramatic action. Some examples of his sculpture of this period are Miracles ofSt. Anthony (Sant' Antonio, Padua); Gattamelata (in the square before Sant'Antonio), the first bronze equestrian statue since ancient times; and Judith andHolofernes (Loggia dei Lanzi, Florence).The sculpture of Donatello influenced that of Florence and northern Italy inthe 15th century. It was also a major stimulus on the development of realism inItalian painting, notably in the work of the great Paduan artist Andrea Mantegna.Donatello, who died on December 13, 1466, had many pupils, the most importantof whom was Desiderio da Settignano.MichelangeloMichelangelo (1475-1564), one of the most inspired creators in the historyof art and the supreme force in the Italian High Renaissance. Michelangelo wasa sculptor, architect, painter, and poet. He had a tremendous influence on...
