Medici and their importance to the Renaissance

After watching the documentary on the Medici Family it made me realize just how important they were to the birth of the Renaissance.  By employing and backing up artist that no one would dare to take a risk on, it lead to revolutionary art and ideas that helped sparked the renaissance, such as the dome Brunelleschi created along with his concept of linear perspective.  Another artist backed by the Medici family was Donatello.  His David sculpture was so revolutionary because it was the first time since ancient Roman times that anyone attempted to make a free standing bronze statue of a naked man. The statue depicts and naked man standing with his foot on the helmet of Goliath with his head inside of the helm, with a feather sticking out of the helmet caressing the inner thigh of David. Certain artist like the 2 afore mentioned Brunelleschi and Donatello, along with many others, made the Renaissance what it was.