Donatello . mmoderate in their pursuit of pleasure. Tradition connects Donatellosheads with certain names: the Jeremiah with Francesco Soderini, theZuccone with Giovanni Cherichini, and then we have the Poggio Brac-ciolini in the Duomo. These names may be sacrificed, but the individualityof the heads holds the spectator even to-day with irresistible power. Such features, deeply furrowed by life, have ever fascinated the trueimage maker. It can be proved by countless instances from ancientGreek and Roman, and especially from mediaeval art, and the present timedoes not think differently on the s
Donatello . mmoderate in their pursuit of pleasure. Tradition connects Donatellosheads with certain names: the Jeremiah with Francesco Soderini, theZuccone with Giovanni Cherichini, and then we have the Poggio Brac-ciolini in the Duomo. These names may be sacrificed, but the individualityof the heads holds the spectator even to-day with irresistible power. Such features, deeply furrowed by life, have ever fascinated the trueimage maker. It can be proved by countless instances from ancientGreek and Roman, and especially from mediaeval art, and the present timedoes not think differently on the subject. The moral interpretation, ac-cording to which at least the Baptist, the Jeremiah and the Zuccone mightpass as examples of evil traits of character, has no immutable value. Itsverdict depends entirely in the situation in which such heads appear. Butit remains a fact, that in the entire fourteenth century neither a painter, nora sculptor, applied anything like equal force to the rendering of such heads. Fig. 38. Bronze-bust. Florence. Museo Nazionale (Bargello). (To page 46.) 44 on a monumental scale. When Donatello chiselled the Zuccone, this forcebecame ecstasy. Like a new Pygmalion, he spoke to him, and spoke ofhim, as though he were alive. And this head appears alive even to-day(Fig. 27). It has never been surpassed as regards truth. But it is a Veritasutterly different from that of a cast from Ufe. The almost bewildering ugUnessof this seventy year old pumpkin head with its thin, stubbly hair andbeard, its blear-eyes, its overhanging nose, broad mouth and thick lips;then the head of Jercjniah (Fig. 26) with its protruding underlip, course,indented nose and bulging eyes, the pupils of which are covered far downby the heavy eyelids — they evidently resemble their originals, like camerapictures; but in being turned into stone they had to pass through the willof a mighty artist who exerted himself to the utmost in bold rivalry withcreative Nature. And he would not suff
Size: 1395px × 1792px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bo, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectdonatello13861466
