Donatello was one of the most important fifteenth century masters whose bronze
David is incomparable that is unlike Donatello's other works in its different style, and
unknown time of origin. Donatello was a gifted sculptor who lived in the fifteenth
century and had a great impact on not only the Italian Renaissance, but also on the future
of art in general. He was an innovator in his time and his style influenced all those around
him. Although Donatello was an artist during the Italian Renaissance, his heart was set
with reviving the Greek Classical style; because of the choice to revive the Classical
style, Donatello has earned his place in history.
Donatello was not only one of the most important artists in the fifteenth century,
but also one of the "most brilliant and representative figures of the Italian Renaissance for
he gave visible form...to the intellectual aspirations and achievements of his epoch
(Brown 47). Not only was he a great sculptor, but also a leader of the artistic movement
of the time. He also had the appreciation of "external life peculiar to the Greek and
Roman civilizations, with its robust self-reliance and enjoyment of sensuous emotions,
and the comprehension of, and respect for, the inner workings of the soul, inherited from
the severe, often morbid, self-analysis of medieval Christianity" (47).
Donatello was able to work with any medium. He cast sculptures in bronze, clay,
and marble with the same passion. Donatello was able to do with his sculpture, as the
humanists were able to do with their pen. Donatello was not limited in the way some
other artists of the time were. The reasons he is so important to history of Italian art is
because of "his originality of conception, his sudden and complete breakage with
tradition, and his technical innovations" (Cole 7).
Donatello could work on his own. He did not need to...