Summary of El canon escultórico: de Donatello a Canova - Leticia Azcue Brea

The video lecture by Leticia Azcue Brea explores the evolution of the sculptural canon in Western art from Donatello to Canova, focusing on key artistic techniques, concepts, and creative processes spanning the Renaissance to Neoclassicism.

Key Artistic Techniques, Concepts, and Creative Processes:

• The Sculptural Canon and the Male Nude:
  • The male nude serves as a prism to understand the history of beauty in Western sculpture.
  • Renaissance sculpture marks a return to classical antiquity, reinterpreting Greek and Roman models.
  • Donatello’s David is highlighted as the first full nude of the Renaissance, reviving classical hero iconography and emphasizing individuality.
  • Sculptures were designed to be viewed in the round (360 degrees), a Renaissance innovation.
• Donatello’s Varied Approaches:
  • Contrast between David (youthful, idealized nude) and Mary Magdalene (polychrome wood sculpture conveying penitence and emotional expression).
  • Use of deliberate elongation and masculine features to convey strength and movement.
  • Integration of moral and symbolic readings understood by contemporary audiences.
• Leonardo da Vinci and Vitruvian Proportions:
  • Leonardo’s Vitruvian Man synthesizes ancient texts by Vitruvius on human body proportions.
  • Introduces division of the body into heads (eight or ten) and inscribes the figure within a circle and square.
  • Acknowledges the need for artistic “room for maneuver” to adjust proportions for movement, perspective, and viewer’s angle, especially in sculpture.
• Michelangelo and the 16th Century:
  • Michelangelo’s David exemplifies personal interpretation of classical canons with idealized anatomy and expressive tension (pensiero).
  • Emphasis on anatomical precision, muscularity, and psychological expression.
  • Renaissance sculptures often painted, reflecting cross-disciplinary knowledge.
  • Discovery of classical works (e.g., Belvedere torso) deeply influenced anatomical and compositional approaches.
  • Michelangelo’s unfinished works and revisions illustrate high standards for perfection and ideal beauty.
  • Renaissance misconception: white marble seen as the ideal, ignoring ancient polychromy.
• Relationship between Art and Anatomy:
  • Close collaboration between sculptors and anatomists (e.g., Vesalius, Juan Valverde de Amusco).
  • Anatomical treatises illustrated with classical sculpture references to align interior anatomy with idealized exterior forms.
  • Artists conducted dissections to understand muscle function and body mechanics.
• Antinous as a Classical Ideal:
  • Antinous, linked to Emperor Hadrian, became a classical beauty model rediscovered through 18th-century excavations.
  • His iconography influenced Renaissance and later artists as an idealized youthful figure.
• 16th and 17th Century Mannerism and Baroque:
  • Shift from balanced classical forms to exaggerated, elongated, and dynamic figures (e.g., serpentine poses).
  • Artists like Benvenuto Cellini and Giambologna emphasized expressiveness, movement, and viewer perspective.
  • Sculptures designed for specific viewing angles, often from below.
  • Technical mastery to achieve impossible balances and dynamic poses.
  • Inclusion of realistic and sometimes grotesque or disproportionate figures (e.g., dwarf sculptures) reflecting court realities.
• Perspective and Scale in Sculpture:
  • Example: Pompeo Leoni’s altarpiece figures of varying heights adjusted for viewer’s perspective.
  • Disproportion used intentionally to achieve correct visual effect from a distance.
• Bernini and Baroque Sculpture:
  • Mastery of realism, light and shadow contrasts, and expressive intensity.
  • Use of “snapshot” moments capturing dynamic tension and emotional expression.
  • Works like The Rape of Proserpina and Apollo and Daphne showcase opposites (male/female, violence/tranquility) and dramatic storytelling.
  • Bernini’s Damned Soul is a personal, expressive self-portrait revealing advanced emotional portrayal.
• 18th Century and Neoclassicism:
  • Continuation of anatomical precision and canonical proportions.
  • Reaction against Baroque exuberance by academies promoting “good taste” and classical restraint.
  • Johann Joachim Winckelmann’s advocacy for balanced, serene Greek ideals and rejection of excessive emotion.
  • Antonio Canova as a leading neoclassical sculptor:
    • Emphasis on ideal beauty, softness, balance, and technical perfection.
    • Mythological and love-themed subjects with restrained drama.
    • Sculptures designed to be viewed from all angles.
    • Example: Perseus with the Head of Medusa and portraits like Pauline Borghese as Venus.
    • Canova’s conceptual approach sometimes clashed with patrons (e.g., Napoleon’s reaction to his heroic nude statue).
• Neoclassical Legacy and Influence:

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Video