As we continue our journey through the realms of art history, we find ourselves at a pivotal moment – the Proto-Renaissance, a period marked by the emergence of humanism in early Italian art. Our exploration began with Giotto, who pioneered this movement, but it was Donatello who truly took humanism to new heights.
Humanism, in its essence, is an emotional and psychological response to the world around us – our experiences of joy, sorrow, happiness, and sadness. It's a sentiment that resonates deeply, particularly during times of grief and suffering. In the early Italian Renaissance, this feeling was deeply rooted in Christianity, with art often serving as a means to express devotion and penance.
Donatello's masterpiece, Mary Magdalene, housed at the Duomo museum in Florence, is a prime example of humanism in action. Created from wood, rather than stone, this sculpture possesses an air of softness and organic beauty that sets it apart from its contemporaries. But what truly marks Donatello's piece as groundbreaking is the way he employs texture and expressive mark-making to convey emotion.
//The S-Curve and Expression As we gaze upon Mary Magdalene, we notice a hint of S-curve in her features, reminiscent of early classical Greek sculptures. However, it's when we begin to shade and add shadows that Donatello's mastery becomes apparent. He uses chiaroscuro – the interplay between light and dark – to create a sense of depth and dimensionality.
//The Power of Expressive Mark-Making Donatello's use of charcoal and other marks is what truly sets his work apart. Rather than relying on traditional techniques, he employs subtle variations in line weight, texture, and pressure to convey the emotions of Mary Magdalene. We see this in the way he can create soft, gentle strokes or sharp, decisive lines.
As we consider Donatello's technique, it becomes clear that he is not simply imitating his predecessors but rather pushing the boundaries of what is possible. His innovative approach to mark-making allows for a level of expressiveness and emotional depth that was previously unseen in art.
//The Birth of Contemporary Art Donatello's work marks a turning point in the development of contemporary art. By experimenting with new techniques and mediums, he paved the way for future artists to explore texture, palette knife, and compressed charcoal – all essential tools in the artist's arsenal.
In copying Donatello's piece, we are reminded that it is one thing to replicate his work but quite another to create something original. As we strive to emulate his style, we must also acknowledge the pioneers who came before us. The beauty of art lies not just in its technical proficiency but in its ability to evoke emotions and spark new ideas.
In Donatello's masterpiece, Mary Magdalene, we find a testament to the power of humanism and the boundless potential of artistic expression. As we continue our journey through the realms of art history, let us remember that it is the innovators who shape our understanding of what is possible – and often leave behind works that will be remembered for generations to come.
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Hey, this is Chris. As we embark on our continuation of art history,
we were talking about Giotto, and something I left out in the example of Giotto's Darker
Farther Away is Giotto was really one of the first artists to introduce the humanism,
which is a focal point of what will become our goal to get to the High Renaissance.
So right now we're in what's called the Proto-Renaissance. It's an early period
just before the Renaissance, and there's a lot of different titles for the Renaissance.
I wouldn't get hung up with that. So basically what's happening here is you're adding humanism.
So what is humanism? Humanism is the psychological feelings that humans have.
We have sorrow and laughter and happiness and sadness, and as there's grieving and suffering.
And in the early Italian Renaissance, especially in Florence, yes, everything is Christian-based.
So there is a religious overtone, and it's basically saying,
Jesus did this for me, and then he died for me and my sins.
So now there's a grieving that I caused this pain onto someone else.
And someone who does this, even though Giotto's first, and that's a massive step,
the person who really takes this to another level to me is Donatello.
And what Donatello does is in early parts of his art, he has certain sculpture pieces,
and they look like beautiful sculpture pieces in bronze, nothing special about them.
But when he does Mary Magdalene, and it's housed at the Duomo Museum,
just about two minutes away from the Duomo Church in Florence.
And that's where all the original artwork that was in the church and the baptistry is sitting.
And I'm telling you, this is one of the more powerful pieces I've ever seen.
What happens with Donatello's piece is instead of her being in stone, she's made out of wood.
It gives it a softer organic feel, and it's just beautiful.
So let's talk about that and where we could go with this.
So I left up on my picture Giotto and saying, darker, farther away.
And sorry about the scribbling with the charcoal.
You think I should just skip it and just put in words in the video later?
Oh, because he doesn't want to do the work.
I see.
Okay, so now you have Mary Magdalene, and you're sort of sketching her in.
And I got to keep it small so she stays on the page.
She's just sort of sitting here.
There's a hint of S-curve, you know,
just a little where you're going from one side of the face to the hand,
that there's a hint of a movement.
Just a little hint going to the hip out here and then to the knee down here.
So there is that S-curve still going on that we see in the early classical Greek sculptures.
But as I start to shade her, now this is a sculpture piece,
so I'm just going to say I'm going to just shade her darker on one side,
just like Giotto would have.
And I'm going to go ahead and put in some of her shadows and her shadow part of her body here.
Okay, and I'll let it just disappear into the background.
In fact, I'll let her disappear, even though you have to excuse me,
because what I did here isn't actually invented during Giotto's time.
The blending into the background is Leonardo da Vinci.
Ignore I did that and just let me continue.
So then you've got the hands coming this way and I'm getting to look there like this.
And there's that little hint.
And what you're doing is you're just kind of developing your drawing.
And as you develop your drawing and you get rid of all the texture
and you have to make it as smooth as you can.
What if you then did this?
You see, humanism, because this is Giotto.
Now we have Donatello.
Oh gosh, you know I can't spell.
Oh, Donatello.
I just looked at the screen and cheated.
Okay, when you're looking at Donatello,
what if I made marks that look like Mary Magdalene
caused pain onto someone else and she was suffering?
What if I took this charcoal and I start it very lightly
and then I started to turn it and I'm pulling down
and I'm going to make the hairs even longer than they're supposed to.
And I'm just going to drag the hair on her body
and everything's going to be weeping like melty wax.
And I'm just going to just kind of bring everything down.
What if I made marks that were,
and they could blur in times and then be sharp and vary
and just drag them down.
There's so many ways to make a mark in a drawing
that you could show something.
A little flick, you know, or a soft graceful mark.
Using the point of the charcoal,
smearing it with your finger
and then going back and sharpening just some of it.
The beginning of expressing yourself as a contemporary artist
with texture, with a palette knife
and using compressed charcoal or any kind of mark
really start in the early Italian Renaissance
and just before the early Italian Renaissance
with Donatello's.
And what I think, Mary Magdalene,
one of the all-time great pieces
because you have to keep in mind,
nobody did this before him.
It's another thing for me to copy it and say,
here, I can draw it just like him.
It's another thing to be first.
And this is beautiful.
