Schedule

THEME 1 – TREASURE HUNTER AND PEASANT MAKER

-Lecture 1 – The Crucifixes of Donatello and Filippo Brunelleschi

Giorgio Vasari’s first story in his “Life of Donatello” concerns a wooden Crucifix that the young Donatello carved for the church of Santa Croce and that was criticized by Filippo Brunelleschi for being too naturalistic. This lecture will unpack Vasari’s anecdote which presents an important insight into how Donatello’s near contemporaries viewed him as perhaps the only sculptor to equal the genius of Michelangelo.

-Lecture 2 – Early Sculptures for Florence Cathedral – St. John the Evangelist and the marble David

The Opera – or “works committee” – of Florence Cathedral was Donatello’s most important and consistent patron. At only 22 years of age, Donatello produced two of his most important statues for the building committee. While Donatello’s St. John the Evangelist for the façade of the great church revealed the sculptor’s ingenuity and originality, his marble David for the cathedral tribunes was instead adopted by the Florentine Republic as its official symbol.

THEME 2 – GUILD SCULPTURES AND THE BAPTISMAL FONT IN SIENA

-Lecture 3 – Sculptures for the Church of Orsanmichele – St. Mark, St. George, and St. Louis of Toulouse

Each of the three statues produced by Donatello for the guild church of Orsanmichele is a milestone in the history of art. St. Mark is generally considered the first fully Renaissance-style work of art. St. George is instead the first statue of the post-classical world to be represented in a narrative context. St. Louis of Toulouse instead reflects the sculptor’s extraordinarily expressive talents in the medium of bronze, while also demonstrating his profound knowledge of classical architecture.

-Lecture 4 – Relief Sculptures in Siena Baptistry – The Feast of Herod

In 1427, Donatello was commissioned by the Opera of the Baptistry of Siena to demonstrate his skill in bronze relief sculpture for the city’s main baptismal font. Other panels for the same font were produced by the celebrated Florentine goldsmith Lorenzo Ghiberti and Siena’s own renowned sculptor Jacopo della Quercia. Ultimately, Donatello’s often-overlooked panel not only outshined the works of the other two sculptors, but it also clearly displays Donatello’s mastery over the rules of linear perspective.

THEME 3 – THE REBIRTH OF CLASSICAL SCULPTURE

-Lecture 5 – Singing Statues in Florence Cathedral – The Cantoria

The massive marble choir loft carved by Donatello for Florence Cathedral is an explosion of music and dance, movement and freedom, youth and joy. Covered in shimmering mosaics, multi-colored enamels, and stones, it is perhaps the work of Renaissance sculpture that comes closest to demonstrating the Classical world’s surprising love of ornamentation.

-Lecture 6 – Sculpture all’antica – The Bronze David

Donatello’s bronze David was the first free-standing nude statue since ancient Roman times. In addition to restoring sculpture to its place alongside architecture, and not simply as ornamentation for it, Donatello also caused quite a ripple in traditional Christian iconography as the homoeroticism of the sculpture is palpable. This lecture will explore the iconography of the statue, as well as discussing various theoretical interpretations of its meaning.

THEME 4 – DEVOTION AND DELECTATION

-Lecture 7 – Sculptural Decorations in the Old Sacristy of San Lorenzo in Florence

During the 1430s, Donatello produced a series of painted stucco reliefs and two sets of bronze doors for the Medici-owned Old Sacristy in San Lorenzo in Florence. This lecture will explore how these works reflect the evolution of Donatello’s style in the middle part of his career, as well as how these works integrate into the rigorous architectural framework of the sacristy’s architect, Filippo Brunelleschi.

-Lecture 8 – The Cavalcanti Altarpiece and The Atys-Amorino

Donatello’s grey stone sculpture of The Annunciation in Santa Croce (better known as the Cavalcanti Altarpiece) is a true masterpiece of theatrical expression, set into classically inspired architectural frame. The small bronze statue known as Atys-Amorino is instead an expression of pure delight. With no clear utilitarian or moral purpose, the charming little statue might be a harbinger of a more modern expression of art appreciated solely for its artistic value.

THEME 5: HEROISM AND PATHOS

-Lecture 9 – Donatello in Padua

In 1455, the great Florentine sculptor, Donatello, also went to Padua to create a large, bronze equestrian monument to the mercenary general Erasmo dei Narni, better known as “Gattamelata.” Donatello’s sculpture was the first equestrian monument since Roman times, and still stands today outside of the Santo, which is the nickname for the Basilica of St. Anthony in Padua. Donatello was then commissioned by the friars of the church to produce a series of bronze sculptures to decorate the high altar of their church. These often-overlooked sculptures are not only some of Donatello’s finest, but are also some of the most influential pieces of the Renaissance.

-Lecture 10 – The Penitent Mary Magdalene and The Judith and Holofernes

One of the most powerfully expressive statues in history, the wooden Mary Magdalene is a moving representation of asceticism and spiritual power. Surprisingly modern in appearance, it is a clear parameter of Donatello’s extraordinary range of expression. The bronze sculpture Judith and Holofernes is instead a veritable “Hollywood” version of the biblical story. Depicting a complete physical and sexual dominance over the Assyrian general, the Hebrew widow raises her sword to dramatically sever his head.

THEME 6 – THE TWILIGHT AND LEGACY OF A GENIUS

-Lecture 11 – The Twin Bronze Pulpits in San Lorenzo in Florence

The two bronze pulpits in the Medici-sponsored church of San Lorenzo represent the artist’s last works. Although the object of much debate regarding attribution, intended location, and current arrangement, the pathos of certain panels on the pulpits clearly reveal the hand of the maestro. This lecture will examine the artistic styles and iconography of the pulpits, as well as the historical context that surrounded them.

-Lecture 12 – Donatello’s Sculptures in Museum Collections throughout the World

This lecture will examine those sculptures by Donatello in various museum collections throughout the world. From his stunning Madonna of the Clouds in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, to his extraordinary Ascension in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Donatello’s works are ambassadors to the world of that extraordinary period known as the Italian Renaissance.