Lorenzo Ghiberti
Lorenzo Ghiberti was born in Pelago, Italy in 1388. He was known to be a Italian sculptor, goldsmith, architect, painter, and writer. He was more widely known for his skills at being a goldsmith. His greatest architectural feat was the construction of the east doors on the Baptistry Cathedral of Florence. To get this job he had to go against some of the best architectural minds of that time: Filippo Brunelleschi and Andrea Pisano, and others. The task was to see who could make a bronze representation of the biblical scene of Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac the best. The final two were Filippo and Ghiberti, Ghiberti won by a vote from a large panel of Judges. Ghiberti became famous overnight when he signed the document for the completion of the doors. It took Ghiberti from 1425-1452 to complete the Gates of Paradise. During this time he had completed three gold Statues: St. John, St. Matthew, and St. Stephen all to the Or San Michele Cathedral in Florence. The John the Baptist was the first bronze statue in Florence. He had also contributed to many of the works of art and literature, and he said “few important things were done in our city which were not devised or designed by my hand”. He had mentored Donatello, along with many other sculptors and artists at the time. With all the fame he had Ghiberti had, he was not afraid to share his artistic knowledge with other people especially other artists. He had also earned a lot of money from the jobs he was working on. He was considered a businessman who had a large amount of land outside of town and had large amounts of money in government bonds. Then in 1452 when the doors were finally completed. Ghiberti wrote the I Commentarii, which was ghiberti's views towards art and antiquities. Ghiberti wrote the book in three sections: the first section was about drawing and classic architecture, the second section was about the resurrection of art from the middle ages and how the decline of art happened, then the third was about realism and depth. It focused on anatomy and perception of the human body when sculpting, but he was unable to complete the work His writings described how he felt on ancient art and culture, and is one of the first recorded autobiography by an artist. He died December 1st, 1455 in Florence, Italy.
Lorenzo Ghiberti is still important to this day because of his skills at being an architect, painter, and writer. But his goldsmith skills put him with some of the all time greats. He had mentored Donatello, and had been the preferred man instead of Brunelleschi to create the bronze doors for the Baptistry of Florence. Which Michelangelo called the Gates of Paradise. He created the first bronze statues in Florence, and was also one of the first people to sculpt something with more of a gothic style which was had a very realistic look. Lorenzo also created the first documented autobiography of an artist although it was not finished it explained his views on his life, works, and other peoples work. He had taught some of the greats and his writings and works formed the basic groundwork for the style and goals of the later Renaissance period
Lorenzo Ghiberti is still important to this day because of his skills at being an architect, painter, and writer. But his goldsmith skills put him with some of the all time greats. He had mentored Donatello, and had been the preferred man instead of Brunelleschi to create the bronze doors for the Baptistry of Florence. Which Michelangelo called the Gates of Paradise. He created the first bronze statues in Florence, and was also one of the first people to sculpt something with more of a gothic style which was had a very realistic look. Lorenzo also created the first documented autobiography of an artist although it was not finished it explained his views on his life, works, and other peoples work. He had taught some of the greats and his writings and works formed the basic groundwork for the style and goals of the later Renaissance period