Doni Tondo
Holy Family - Florence, Uffizi
This is the first known of Michelangelo's paintings, but already we can see that painting is
for him "better when the element of relief is emphasized".
"The best paintings are those which come closer to sculptural relief." Said by Michelangelo.
As in the sculpture David, the controlled energy is also found in the Doni Tondo, which dates
back to 1504. In this painting the artist concentrates his energetic and clear plastic language
on the study of composition and form. He sued colour to emphasized the form and
disposition of the figures; and creates and expression of strength and energy through the
intertwining and unwinding of bodies into lives and spirals.
This work was inspired by the classical tradition, especially the influences from sculptures
and statues from the antiquity, e.g.: The Lacoon and Belvedere Torso. Michelangelo painted
The Doni Tondo as an exploration of three dimensional form through the illusionistic medium
of paint. The figures are welded into a monumental sculptural block isolated by colour and
definition from the apse-like background. The significant forms are stressed by contrasts
of light and dark, they are stressed by the projection and recession of the carved surface.
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