Sculpture - AP Art History

Female figures have been nude almost since the beginning of figurative art. They are not new to the Romans, although they are seen less often.

Byzantine art evolved from ancient Roman art, although this transition is not superficially obvious. It is important to remember that the Byzantine Empire is at times referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire, and that the Byzantine people considered themselves to be Romans through the Fall of Constantinople in 1453. The evolution of style of Byzantine art occurred due to the fact that the Byzantine Empire and Constantinople were considered the bridge between Eastern and Western European cultures. The clash and intermingling of these cultures and religions is what created the unique style and appearance of Byzantine art.

Pilgrimage type churches housed large crowds on their journey to Compostela or other pilgrimage destinations. Thus, the churches were expanded to accommodate these crowds. The naves were extended; radiating chapels and tribunes were added to house the extra worshippers. Side aisles were doubled, and everything was built on a larger scale.

"Reliquaries" are the containers of relics, or the fragmented body parts (usually the bone(s) or bodily object(s)) of a saint or other religious figure. "Reliquaries" varied in size and shape, and could range from a small amulet containing a pinkie finger to a large box containing a leg bone. Touch relics -or objects that had come in contact with a saint or other religious figure, such as a piece of clothing- might also be held within a reliquary.

Mosaics are one of the most important legacies of Byzantine art, and remained the envy of Western European artists for centuries to come. Mosaic art included patterns, abstract symbolism, and more realistic images.

A "mandorla" is an oval of light, typically surrounding the figure of Christ. "Leviathans" (sea monsters) were sometimes depicted in Romanesque Last Judgment scenes, ready to swallow up the condemned. The vertical stone between the portal doors is called a "trumeau."

David is the first instance in which there is a genuine blending of the Christian faith and the styles and forms of Classical figural art. Here is the first time that biblical figures are represented in the styles of the Classical masters. Yes, he is not the freestanding nudes we recognize- the Boxer, the Discus Thrower, those trim and muscled figures. David clings to the vestiges of Gothic figures, but he is nude and freestanding and has paved the way for more of his kind.

Donatello had a clear interest in the human form. Many believed when he unveiled the piece that it had to have been done in life, it was so true to form. He also, though, was the first of his kind to use bronze in a freestanding nude (this hasn't been done since the Classical era). He is finally making a statement of Italian society, and the importance of blending Christian art and modernizing life.

This is David, also sculpted by artists like Donatello and Michelangelo. The head of Goliath sits at David's feet. John the Baptist was also beheaded, but by Salome, a woman. Hercules and Samson tend to be represented with more muscularity, and Moses is usually an older figure.

Work is in the public domain, accessed through WikiArt: http://www.wikiart.org/en/andrea-del-verrocchio/david-1475

Michelangelo's Pietà follows the traditional theme of such pieces of art by having the Virgin Mary cradling a dead Jesus Christ after his crucifixion. Michelangelo depicted Mary in stunning realism for the sixteenth century, while also presenting her as extremely youthful. Michelangelo claimed that a completely chaste woman would hardly age, despite being the mother of a thirty-three year old man.

Given the nature of the work (David is nude and sensually posed), the patron was unlikely to be the Church. Though it was not wholly unusual later to see the church represent its prominent figures in the nude or seminude, this particular piece predates that. Donatello also would not have had the resources to commission this work himself, and David is a biblical figure. It is believed, actually, that the Medici family commissioned the piece for their courtyard.

The Renaissance literally means "rebirth" and did include a revival of both Greek as well as Roman style, though it is largely agreed that Classical Greece and a renewed interest in its art birthed the Renaissance in Italy. This work is early Renaissance for a number of reasons; one, the piece is not yet the heavily muscled figure reminiscent of Hellenistic Greece and its heroes. Two, the curvature, much like an S-curve, is reminiscent of a lingering Gothic interest.

This David is depicted the moment after he defeats the giant Goliath. He is standing triumphantly over the giant's severed head, carrying his sword and looking particularly smug over the giant's defeat. He is sensually and salaciously posed in only a hat and boots, and is the only figure of his kind from this time period.

Ancient Greek and Roman statuary was largely based on three concepts: Greco-Roman mythology, statues of political leaders, and exercises on the ideal form. In Greek mythology, Hercules, the half-man, half-god hero, was tasked with various chores to allow him to enter the realm of the gods. One of the most famous ones was that Hercules had to defeat the multiheaded serpent known as the Hydra.

David is fully nude here, wearing only a hat and boots. This is a novel sculptural form for its time, as this is the first time since the end of the Classical era in which a freestanding nude sculpture can be found. The lack of clothing on this young David will set the precedent for more nudity in the Renaissance movement, especially with the works of Michelangelo.

There are a number of controversies surrounding the work, not the least of which is the homoerotic undertones one can see in David's pose, in his face and his open and inviting demeanor. Historians have argued that Donatello was himself gay and this was a representation of that sexual preference. Others say he was commenting on the homosocial Italian society, which condemned but still widely practiced sodomy. Many, though, believe Donatello was simply a pioneer of form.

In the bible, Goliath is the giant from Gath. He is also, though, the representation of Paganism, especially in the Old Testament. He is withholding the throne from the true king, David, anointed by God. He is meant to represent the end of Pagan culture and rule, suffering at the hands of Christianity and Judaism and the prevalence of those cultures.

While Donatello has carved this figure nude, and donned him with a hat and a sword, it is his pose that is most striking. He is sensual and almost womanlike in his pose, inviting and soft. This is so emphasized because Donatello doesn't know where to draw the line between Gothic s-curved nonsexual figures and the sexual and manly figures of the Classical era.

The answer is Da Vinci. Donatello was dead when this sculpture was made, while Michelangelo, Titian, and Raphael were born either during or after it was being created.

Work is in the public domain, accessed through WikiArt: http://www.wikiart.org/en/andrea-del-verrocchio/david-1475