Page 15 - 高中英语小题狂做·选择性必修第三册·RJ

UNIT 1 ART 9

( ) 3. Which is your best choice if you want to enjoy a painting with the beauty of nature?

A. Nymph of the Luo River—Gu Kaizhi.

B. A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains—Wang Ximeng.

C. Court Ladies Adorning Their Hair with Flowers—Zhou Fang.

D. Along the River During the Qingming Festival—Zhang Zeduan.
B

Ask an art historian about 15th-century Italian art and they ll probably bring up Sandro Botticelli s

Primavera, Leonardo da Vinci s Last Supper or the early career works of Michelangelo. Meanwhile,

assessments of the Florentine sculptor Donatello often pale in comparison with praise of his superstar

contemporaries. Donatello deserves better, argues an ambitious new exhibition. On view through July 31

at two museums in Florence, Italy, “Donatello: The Renaissance” tries to place the sculptor at the centre

of the era, writes reporter Elisabetta Povoledo for The New York Times.

“This is an extremely unusual exhibit, since Donatello is a father of the Renaissance,” Donatello

scholar Francesco Caglioti tells The Times. Arturo Galansino, director of the Palazzo Strozzi, takes the

argument one step further, telling The Wall Street Journal s J. S. Marcus that the exhibition identifies

Donatello as “the inventor of the Renaissance”.

Donatello s masterpieces were paired with works by Filippo Brunelleschi, Giovanni Bellini,

Michelangelo and Raphael to showcase his significant impact on generations of Italian artists. “ Some

exhibitions are once in a lifetime, but this show is the first time in history,” said Galansino earlier this
month.

While some people think of Michelangelo s marble ( 大 理 石 ) David (1501 1504) as an

incomparable work, Donatello actually sculpted one of the statue s key inspirations: a bronze ( 青铜)

David. Created between 1435 and 1450, likely for the Medici family, the sculpture was conceived(构思)

independently of any architectural surroundings. Scholars, therefore, consider Donatello s David the first

of such a style in Renaissance history.

Besides, Donatello s Madonna influenced similar works by Italian Baroque painter Artemisia

Gentileschi. Just as Donatello has been relatively overlooked in favour of his contemporaries, Gentileschi

and a handful of other Renaissance women artists are just starting to get their due—a trend evidenced by a

recent exhibition at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

“Donatello: The Renaissanc” follows the artist s life and work, moving through his early years in his

native city and a long-term residency in Padua. By the end of his life, Donatello s work was primarily

financed by the powerful Medici family.
[2023 山东临沂期中]

( ) 1. What does the new exhibition intend to do?

A. Restress Leonardo da Vinci s achievements.

B. Retell the stories of artists in the Renaissance.

C. Rediscover Italian art in the contemporary context.

D. Rethink the key role Donatello played in his time.