Giambologna Sawyer Bowman Giambologna, or Giovanni Da Bologna / Jean Boulogne, was among the greatest names in art during his time. He was born in 1529 and died in 1608. His legacy, however, continues to live on. He was considered the greatest sculptor of Mannerism, with his reputation only second to Michelangelo. His sculpting style is elegant, sophisticated, subtle, and sensuous. Giambologna spent a great deal of his time in Florence, however, he was Flemish born. (Flemish indicates he was from the Flanders area near Belgium.) Thus, Giambologna soon became known as a very successful and unique artist. At a relatively early age, fourteen to be precise, Giambologna showed a distinct interest in art, particularly in sculpting. As a result, a Flemish sculptor named Jacques Duboreucq took him in as an apprentice. Jacques had an enormous impact on Giambologna, which shows through Giambologna’s later masterpieces. By teaching Giambologna modeling and carving, Jacques imparted his Italianate as well as Hellenistic style. Giambologna absorbed these classical styles, which would prove critical to his success later on in his career. Around 1550, Giambologna went to Italy and further pursued his career in Rome for two years. On the way back from the trip, he decided to settle in Florence, where he would remain for the rest of his life. In Florence, Giambologna produced several masterful sculptures. He started with a series of marble statues, which included Samson slaying a Philistine (1561), Florence Triumphant over Pisa (1575), The Rape of a Sabine (1581), and Hercules and the Centaur (1594). He also designed the Fountain of Neptune for Bologna, which is another example of his work. All of these pieces epitomized complex twisting poses and represented the peak of Mannerist art. During his time in Florence, Giambologna worked for the Medici family. He made a multitude of statues for the family, including the monument to Duke Cosimo I (1587), which was the first equestrian statue made in Florence. This statue later became a model for statues all over Europe. Another important work Giambologna made for the Medici was his largest, the Mountain God Appennino (1577). This masterpiece was made of brick and stone and fused effortlessly with the environment around it. Giambologna had many reasons for success. For instance, he created both secular and religious pieces to appeal to all audiences. However Giambologna’s success did not only come from major sculptures. He also made small, bronze statuettes, his most famous being Flying Mercury (1580). These statuettes were spread throughout Europe and were responsible for spreading Giambologna’s reputation. Thus, by the time of his death, Giambologna had not only made a name for himself, but also revolutionized Mannerist art and influenced future artists to come. Bibliography Avery, Charles. Giambologna the complete sculpture. London: Phaidon, 1993. Print. "Giambologna (Italian artist) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia." Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Web. 25 Oct. 2009. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/232910/Giambologna>. "Giambologna, Mannerist Sculptor: Biography, Sculptures: "Rape of the Sabines", "Equestrian Statue Cosimo I"" Irish Art | Encyclopedia of Visual Arts in Ireland | History of Painting, Sculpture, Printmaking. Web. 25 Oct. 2009. <http://www.visual-arts- cork.com/sculpture/giambologna.htm>. "Giambologna Online." Art cyclopedia: The Fine Art Search Engine. Web. 25 Oct. 2009. <http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/giambologna.html>. Web Gallery of Art, image collection, virtual museum, searchable database of European fine arts (1000-1850). Web. 25 Oct. 2009. <http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/bio/g/giovanni/bologna/biograph.html>. Sophia Spach October 2009 Raphael Rafaello Sanzio also known as Raphael was born on April 6, 1483 in Urbino, Italy. He was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. He is part of what is called the “trinity” of great artists of the time period, along with Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. Although he died at the young age of thirty-seven in 1520, he was very successful and created a large amount of paintings, drawings, etc… He is best known for his Madonna’s and his large figures in Rome. He received much of his early training in art from his father, Giovanni Santi, who was also an artist. His artwork can be divided into three different styles, Umbria, which were his first few years, Florence, which lasted for about four years, and Rome, which lasted for about twelve years. He even worked for the Pope at one point. Some of Raphael’s techniques were different than many other artists, for example, before he would do a painting or drawing he did many different rough drafts before the actual piece was started, each detail had to be exactly right before he would do the final copy. His drawings are very precise down to the shading, highlights, and outline of the figures and objects. Raphael was open to new ideas therefore he explored many different mediums and subjects. Some of the mediums he used were oil on wood, oil on canvas and oil on roundhead panel. He also designed a few different buildings, and at this time became one of the most important architects. He also helped to design St. Peter’s Basilica, one of the most important Catholic churches, which is located in the Vatican City. He was very involved with the pope and the Catholic Church, which was reflected in every aspect of his work. Holy Family below the Oak (1518) Oil on Wood Portrait (1515) Oil on Wood Kren, Emil, and Daniel Marx. "Biography." Web Gallery of Art, image collection, virtual museum, searchable database of European fine arts (1000-1850). Web. 22 Oct. 2009. <http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/bio/r/raphael/biograph.html>. "Paleta - Artist : Raphael , Italy." Paleta - The Art Club and Portal. Web. 22 Oct. 2009. <http://www.paletaworld.org/Artist.asp?id=92>. "Raphael - Olga's Gallery." Olga's Gallery - Online Art Museum. Web. 24 Oct. 2009. <http://www.abcgallery.com/R/raphael/raphael.html>. "Raphael: From Urbino to Rome | A master in the making | Learn about art | National Gallery, London." Welcome | Home | The National Gallery, London. Web. 24 Oct. 2009. <http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/learn-about-art/raphael-from-urbino-to- rome>. Raphael. Holy Family below the Oak. 1518. Oil on Wood. Donatello Scott Murr Donatello was born 1386 in Firenze, Italy to Niccoló diBretto Bardi. Not much is known about his personal behavior, but his artist style and revolutionary ideas of bringing back ancient Roman art and design along with his artist sculpturing has made him a world known sculpture. He was among the earliest artist to revive classical Roman lettering and architecture. He is believed to have learned his artistic sculpting from the sculptors that worked on the nearby Cathedral of Florence around 1400. A few years later, his artistic sculpting led him to become a member of the Workshop of Lorenzo Ghiberti. He displayed his gratitude to Ghiberti when he constructed his first sculpture, the marble statue of David as a sign of his debt to Ghiberti. The Full power of Donatello’s artistic style appeared in his two marble statues St. Mark and St. John in the Church of Florence. During these two marble sculptures, he invented a new style of creating a richer depth of field that made his sculptures come to life. He began to chisel in short strokes and light taps that gave the sculpture atmospheric space. Artist of the era referred to his artwork as “Painting his sculptures rather than chiseling them. Donatello explored with this method from 1420- 1435. Some of his artistic pieces in this style are The Accension, Feast of Herod, St. Louis of Toulouse, Assumption of the Virgin, Pulpit of Prado Cathedral and the bronze effigy on the center of Pope John XXIII’s coffin. His artistic style shows an unorthodox ornamental vocabulary, which he used from both classical and medieval sources and an ability to blur artistic sculpturing with painting of a portrait. Donatello moved to Rome from 1430-33, thus moving away from his good friend Brunelleschi. In spite, Brunelleschi composed epigrams against Donatello for leaving. In 1440, he began making putti nude models, which helped him create the bronze statue of David. Donatello created an equestrian statue, which so enticed the King of Naples that he ordered a similar one named Gattamelata in 1449. Shortly after this, for reasons unknown he fell into depression and refused to work because of the illness. From 1450- 55 he only created two sculptures one of which was the St. John the Bpatist, which was a wooden statue in Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari. The other was the Mary Magdalen created for the Florentine Baptistery. He died suddenly in 1466 in his hometown of Firenze. http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/bio/d/donatell/biograph.html Filippo Brunelleschi Alexa Adams Filippo Brunelleschi was one of the primary architechts and engineers of the Italian Renaissance. Most of his major works being in Florence, Italy. He was born in 1377 and died in 1446. In 1398, he became a master goldsmith. Three years later Filippo entered a competition to design a new set of bronze doors for the baptistery in Florence. Unfortunately, his competitor was announced victor because of his superior technical skill. Filippo was trained in the medieval manner and transitioned into the new classicism architecture we know as the Renaissance. By 1400 there emerged an interest in humanities, which contrasted with the formalism of the medieval period. Initially this new interest in Roman antiquity was restricted to a few scholars, writers and philosophers; it did not at first influence the visual arts. Like Brunelleschi, Donatello grew up as a goldsmith and visited Rome.