ON ZOOM

Donatello (1386-1466) may have been born over 600 years ago, but his sculpture is so powerful that it still speaks directly to us today. Working amidst the vibrant creativity of Florence in the fifteenth century, his works encompass every emotion from unalloyed joy and frivolity, through formal grandeur, to deeply personal religious conviction. A technical master, he broke new ground in the methods he used and the forms he chose to develop, leaving behind a legacy of works that seem startlingly modern.

Join Renaissance art historian Elaine Ruffolo for a virtual presentation on the life and times of Donatello by looking at the artistic world of Florence around 1400, considering how new ideas shaped the way artists worked and why the city itself encouraged patronage and artistic expression. Follow Donatello’s career from his apprenticeship to becoming the premier sculptor of the Florentine Republic and consider how developments in his art mirror new and exciting changes in painting and architecture during the period.

Elaine Ruffolo is a Renaissance art historian living in Florence with a special interest in 15th-century patronage. She has lectured for Syracuse and Stanford Universities in Florence and designed academic travel programs throughout Italy for cultural institutions such as the Smithsonian Associates, the Clark at Williams College, Telfair Museums, Atlanta High Museum, Yale Alumni, College of William and Mary and the Patrons of the Vatican Museums. Elaine is on the advisory board of the Friends of Florence and consults for CEO and YPO programs throughout Europe. Most recently she began Art History Encounters, a virtual platform that brings the art and culture of Italy directly to your home.

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