The Art Of Plastic Art: The Period Of The Renaissance

The period of the Renaissance in the post-Medieval Europe occurred by virtue of the humanists who revived ideological and aesthetical principles of antique Greece and Rome. Artists, as many people of that time, were excited about the crucial change happening in the world around them and they significantly changed the subject and the modes of representation of their artworks. The art of plastic art reached its apogee during the Renaissance. Being released from the shackles of its religious and mystical content, sculptures refer to life, to the real images of reality and, more importantly, a man. Sculpture is the most significant genre of the Renaissance art because it embodies the main tenets of that era, such as pursuing classical tradition,

Artists of the Renaissance resurrected the principles which were forgotten, namely physical realism and classical composition. Most prominently this tendency was observed in the plastic art: the Renaissance’s sculpture depicts real life rather than “produces something false or idealistic”. It is constructed on the basis of harmonious classical composition which encapsulates two important elements such as definition and symmetry. This pursue of artistic harmony is traced in Lorenzo Ghiberti’s (1378-1455) masterpiece The Gates of Paradise (1425-52). It is a cast gilt bronze relief which combines high-relief main figures with mostly low-relief backgrounds. The combination of both suggests a greater depth that actually exists. The illusion of three-dimensional space is emphasised by virtue of using linear perspective created by an interaction of landscapes and architecture. The choice of high-relief technique pinpoints Lorenzo Ghiberti’s knowledge of Greek and Roman sculptures: this type of carving was very common in Classical Antiquity (we see

During the Early Renaissance stage, which is considered to be the period of 1400-1479, one of the greatest Italian sculptors Donatello (1386-1466) was creating his monumental masterpieces. Humanism’s beliefs in the uniqueness of every single human being, as well as the man’s artistic genius and powerful intellect were reflected in one of the greatest works that Donatello left to his descendants, David (1430-1440). David in bronze cast has become the first free-standing nude statue since the antique times that marked the completion of, as Hanns Swarzenski wrote, “the development of a defined, intensified sculptural activity and a growing emancipation of sculpture from its architectonic functions”. The free-standing David allows the audience to circumambulate and view himself from different angles enjoying his lifelike body. Donatello, the man of his time, had a clear humanistic approach to sculpture: apart from looking for naturalism in proportions, anatomy, perspective and drapery, Donatello bestowed his figures with “intense psychological individuality”. Maybe that is why Vasari even believed that “a living form” (probably, Donatello’s apprentice) was used to demonstrate David’s daintiness and feminine elegance in a more realistic manner. The bronze David is a young boy with juvenile lithe body and long hair. He is nude, apart from a hat and Gladiator sandals