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Donatello
Prophet Habbakuk (or "Lo Zuccone") c. 1423-35
Image Courtesy Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore/Antonio Quattrone |
Lynn and I sometimes cover galleries and museums and we were anxious to take in some of the great late winter and early spring exhibits dotting Manhattan at present if for no other reason than to generate some cultural inspiration after a tough and stubborn winter in New York. I have an interest in Biblical History so I was particularly interested in the exhibit
Sculpture in the Age of Donatello: Renaissance Masterpieces from Florence Cathedral at the
Museum of Biblical Art. This exhibit consists of 23 masterpieces of early Florentine Renaissance sculpture. The works were create by immortals such as Donatello, Flippo Brunelleschi and other masterful sculptors of the time for Florence Cathedral ("Il Duomo")
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Donatello-
The Sacrifice of Isaac (detail) c. 1421
Image Courtesy Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore/Antonio Quattrone |
The exhibit benefits greatly from a curatorial focus on works created from about 1400 to 1450. The works were intense. For me, the standout piece was Donatello's Prophet Habbakuk which has a naturalism exhibited in the figure's impressive but realistic musculature and posture that generates a pleasing and memorable contrast with the innate monumental quality of the piece. It is difficult to say what is a highlight as the show is an embarrassment of highlights and riches. Some pieces made a particular impact such as Donatello's Sacrifice of Isaac whose Abraham has an expression that is mournful, resolute, frightened and hopeful all at once at the moment he is about to kill his son.
The exhibit runs until June 14th. It is a great visual feast besides being very moving and inspiring.
