The Development of sculptural practice during the Renaissance In the fifteenth century a new movement came about based on intellect which saw a break with medieval traditions. At this time Italian artists appreciated the art of Rome, and the Flemish moved towards greater naturalism. There was now a great interest in the classical world and this period of revival became known as the Renaissance, an ever-improving cultural scene stating creativity and inventiveness. Sculpture progressed immensely through out the Renaissance from masterpieces such as the pulpit in Pisa Cathedral by Nicola Pisano in the early Renaissance to the genius Michelangelo Buonarotti and his amazing sculpture of David in the high Renaissance. On the comparison of these works the development of sculpture and sculptural practice is evident, and although both master pieces could arguably be equally beautiful. There is an obvious progression in certain aspects of movement and more realistic values, a transformation of classical elements and the use of mathematical proportions.
The Competition Doors At the beginning of the Quattrocento, there were great improvements made in Sculpture, shown to us through the creations of several astonishing sculptors. Two of whom competed against each other to get the opportunity to design two sets of doors to go along with one set already made by Andrea Pisano (depicting the life of John the Baptist) for the Florentine Baptistery. Seven Sculptors were chosen to compete for what became known, as “The Competition Panels” Among these were Lorenzo Ghiberti and Fillip Brunelleschi. Subjects for the panels were, The sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham Ghiberti took a more subtle approach and throughout his composition every figure and drapery form is a rhythmic flow, soft and graceful. He also seemed to successfully represent volume and weight, which had been attempted, but never quite achieved by many Sculptors before.
The Essay on Renaissance Sculpture
A time of extraordinary beauty in the field of art was the period known as High Renaissance. There was a growing trend towards realism, and artists of the time aspired to achieve beauty, harmony and naturalism in their work. These qualities began to revolve around a movement called humanism, which was a philosophical school of thought that attached more importance to humans and less to God. In ...
Ghiberti’s sense of realism is expanded by his use of space until the background of the panel is not seen as a flat surface, but as an empty space, representing volume and depth. Although he represents realism in three dimensional form and proportion perfectly, Ghiberti failed to grasp the aspect of emotional realism, which is evident in his Sacrifice of Issac where no real emotion of facial expression is portrayed. Ghiberti’s handling of the male nude had been very effective for the competition relief. For the first time in creation relief, he represents female nudes with grace and deals with the flowing light, which deliberately lingers over them.
