St. Mark's form is not characteristic of what might be called 20th century realism -- the old man is not wrinkled, and his body, although not as powerful as Michelangelo's David or ancient Greek statues of Olympic athletes and gods, is not withered or bent with infirmity. Mark represents spiritual and moral strength. The folds of his gown suggest his inverted hip position, but there is still elegance in the way he moves. This was radical during Donatello's day -- in contrast to the era immediately...
Mark, human beings were often shown in fallen, twisted, and hideous ways, to indicate the morally bankrupt state of Man. In the form of St. Mark, a mortal who became a great saint, who clutches the life-giving Gospel that bears his authorship in his hand, his perfect, yet clearly individualized state of being celebrates the human condition. He is old but his authorship of the gospel as well as his physical perfection is testimony to his spiritual perfection.
He is one of the few artists that were recognized for his work while he was still living. One of Michelangelo's most exquisite pieces is Pieta. In this sculpture, we can see how Michelangelo was moving away from the traditional form of sculpting. Creighton Gilbert notes that how Mary and Jesus are depicted in the statue is not typical of Michelangelo's day. Mary is seated with the dead Jesus in
He took Giotto's notions and ran with them, so to speak. He, too, was breaking away from tradition because he viewed art differently than others sis. In his book, Michelangelo, William Lace states that Michelangelo was responsible for bringing realism to art and "freeing it from the stiff formality of the preceding centuries" (Lace 7). Michelangelo wanted his art to appear as realistic as possible. His goal was to
Botticelli's Birth Of Venus And Duccio's Maesta The representation of women in Western art has changed throughout history, and for much of Western history this representation was oriented around the dominant female figure in contemporary society; that is, Mary, mother of Jesus. However, the gradual shift away from a dominantly monotheistic cultural hegemony seen in the Renaissance and eventually the Enlightenment brought with it new (and the case of this study,
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now