Michelangelo: The Doni Tondo
|
Michelangelo Buonarroti was an
Italian sculptor and painter whose pieces influenced and reflected the
Renaissance. He was born in Caprese, Italy in 1475 and at age thirteen he
became apprentice to painter,
Domenico Ghirlandaio. He then went on to study at the sculpture school in the Medici
gardens. Michelangelo was very interested in sculpture and the human body.
He considered himself a sculptor, not a painter. The Sistine Chapel and the
Doni Tondo are some of his only known paintings.
His most famous sculpture is probably David. Michelangelo died in 1564, but his artwork lives on as an example of
his life and the lives of many other Renaissance peoples.
|
"A man paints with his brains and
not with his hands."1
-Michelangelo
"Good painting is the kind that
looks like sculpture."2
-Michelangelo
|
|
|
The Doni Tondo is the only known preserved
panel picture by Michelangelo, and the only one completed in his homeland. It is in the form of a tondo, or round frame
and is 120cm in diameter. It was painted in 1504 out of tempera and oil
paints. It is currently in the Uffizi
gallery in Florence, Italy. The Doni Tondo was painted to
commemorate the birth of the first child of Agnoli Dono, a Florentine
banker. In it the Christ child is being presented to the viewer by Mary and
Joseph. In the background are nude males who symbolize paganism, the world
before Christianity. Their poses and gestures are connected to classical
sculptures. On the right is little St. John who symbolizes the passage,
through baptism, from the pagan world to the Christian world.
|
|
|
The Doni Tondo is a fine example of classic
Renaissance art. The three main characteristics of Renaissance art; classical
balance, harmony, and restraint are present in this painting. The three figures
in the middle are evenly balanced in a triangle and there are an even amount of
people on each side of the background. The scene is very peaceful and the
colors, though vibrant seem to all go together to create an aesthetically
pleasing picture. The people have the trait of perfect humans, yet their reality
is stressed in their muscles and the odd twisting of their bodies. |
 |
|
www.pep-web.org/document.php?id=psc.034.0463a |
|
|
|
|
The Renaissance adopted
three new and important values. They were humanism, individualism, and
secularism. Humanism was the new focus on human beings rather than God. It was a
focus on their achievements, interests and capabilities. The Renaissance, like
the Greeks idealized a “perfect man”, who participated in and was good at
everything. Individualism was the focus on the individual. It stressed
personality and uniqueness, and encouraged people to fully develop their
capabilities and talents. Unlike Medieval times, when people were scared to
express their own opinions, the Renaissance produced people who were unafraid to
be different. Secularism was the basic concern with the material world, rather
than with eternal and spiritual matters. People began to live in the present
instead of waiting for heaven, and they wanted material possessions. These three
Renaissance values are present in Michelangelo’s Doni Tondo.
Humanism is evident in the Doni Tondo because the topic of
the painting is people. Even though the painting is a religious one, the Christ
child and his parents look like real human beings that we can relate to. You can
see their close relationship and friendships in their faces and gestures.
Michelangelo also shows off his talent for painting the human body in the
background of the painting, which does not only contain a landscape, but more
humans.
When Michelangelo painted the Doni Tondo he used
individualism. Rather than just painting a scene of the Christ child he put in
touches so that no one could mistake the painting for anyone’s but his.
Michelangelo was very interested in sculpture and the muscles and curves of the
human body, especially male’s. In the background he painted nude males that
have an uncanny resemblance to his sculptures. Michelangelo also used his
individual style of painting. In the Doni Tondo, the depth is so real,
and the colors so vivid because Michelangelo mixed his colors with both black
and white to fully maximize the contrast.
The Doni Tondo is secularism in itself, “doni”
meaning gift in Italian. The painting was given to Agnoli Dono when his first
child was born. In Medieval times this gift giving would not have taken place
because all gifts were to God, and one did not indulge himself or his friends in
materialism. In Renaissance time, though, this was not uncommon. Wealthy people
commissioned artists to paint pictures for them.
We are fortunate that that change occurred because it
maximized the amount and quality of artwork being produced. Artists began to be
recognized as creative geniuses. Many commissioned pieces, such as the Doni
Tondo, have greatly affected the development of artwork and how we know it
today.
http://arthistory.heindorffhus.dk/frame-Michelangelo.htm
(a stamp influenced by
Michelangelo)
Michelangelo
and his artwork greatly inspired and influenced the world of art. The Doni Tondo
in particular, influenced Raphael when he produced his famous portraits of the
family who received the Doni Tondo. During the 16th century Michelangelo's great
skill in painting and sculpting the human form, greatly influenced mannerist
artists. During the 17th century the power and drama in his work influenced
baroque artists. The originality, creativity, and independency that make up
Michelangelo's genius still influences artists of today. In the words of Giorgio
Vasari Michelangelo Buonarroti was "the greatest man known to the arts."3
Table of Contents
Timeline of Michelangelo's Life
Other High Renaissance
Artists:
Durer: Adoration of the
Trinity
Raphael: The Triumph of Galatea
Endnotes
1Brainy
Quote, 2007, 20, January 2007
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/michelangelo.html
2Brainy
Quote, 2007, 20, January 2007
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/michelangelo.html
3Renaissance. volume 7, 2002,
Grolier, Educational. Danbury, Connecticut. p. 9.
Bibliography
"Doni Tondo." Answers.Com.
Wikepedia. 14 Jan. 2007 <http://www.answers.com/topic/doni-tondo>.
"Doni Tondo." Paintings
in the Uffizi and Pitti Galleries. 1st ed. Canada: Magnus Edizioni, 1994.
"Doni Tondo." Wikipedia. 19 Nov.
2006. 17 Jan. 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doni_Tondo>.
Douma, M. "Michelangelo’S
Exaggerated Contrast: Cangiantismo." Color Vision and Art. 2006.
Institute for Dynamic Educational
Advancement. 14 Jan. 2007 <http://webexhibits.org/colorart/michelangelo.html>.
Kren, Emil, and
Daniel Marx. "MICHELANGELO Buonarroti."
Web Gallery of Art. 14 Jan. 2007
<http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html? /html/m/michelan/2paintin/1doniton.html>.
"Michelangelo."
Renaissance. 1st ed. 7 vols.
Danbury, Connecticut: Grolier Educational, 2002.
