The Doni Tondo: Michelangelo

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In the contemporary art world, where artists bring interdisciplinary elements and combine them in a mixture of genius and creativity, three and two-dimensional pieces are by no means exclusive in nature. The Donni Tondo, Michelangelo Buonarroti's tempera on panel with oil flourishes, although characteristically High Renaissance, projects a legacy of exploration and growth that may appeal to contemporary artists whose artistic sensibilities favor the combination of artistic platforms. Michelangelo’s portrayal of The Holy Family embodies the essence of his artistic orientations, and provides us with a glimpse into the mind of such a multifaceted man. His genius and excellent craftsmanship seem to exhibit his artistic might and abilities in such a manner, as to demand respect and recognition in his young yet very successful career as a sculptor, as well as a painter. The Doni Madonna offers us insight into Michelangelo's artistic point of reference; not as the unapproachable and idealized genius, but as a growing artist.
The Doni Tondo, which now resides in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy, is known by the renowned and influential family name that commissioned the tondo. The gilded frame, which Michelangelo undoubtedly designed and assisted carving, features his abilities as a painter, as well as a sculptor, through the intricate treatment of the wood carving (see Figure 1). The work's patron, Agnolo Doni, commissioned the piece as a wedding gift to his young bride around 1503-1504. A recurrent shape in domestic decorative arts of the Renaissance, the tondo, Italian for round, emphasizes the secular and homely environment in which the work would be displayed. Moreover, the domestic quality of the painting is further portrayed ...

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... and cultivated ideas and later projected them in terms of his unique maniera. Buonarroti's ability to not let himself be limited to a particular approach, as well as the genius with which he combined and two and three-dimensional platforms, represent a great legacy to the contemporary artist.

Works Cited

Barolsky, Paul. "Benvenuto Buonarroti." Michelangelo's Nose: A Myth and Its Maker. University Park: Pennsylvania State UP, 1996. 141+. Print.
Hayum, Andrée (Spring 1980). "Michelangelo's Doni Tondo: Holy Family and Family Myth". Renaissance Quarterly (Renaissance Society of America). 33, No. 1 (1): 209– 249. JSTOR/2861574
Heusinger, Lutz, and Michelangelo Buonarroti. "At the Service of the Florentine Republic." Michelangelo. Florence: Scala, 1998. 17-22. Print.
Hibbard, Howard. "Four Madonnas." Michelangelo. Cambridge, MA: Harper & Row, 1985. 62-74. Print.

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