Precursors of the Renaissance:
Late Medieval
Painting
13th and 14th century Italian art
Background
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Term “Renaissance” means rebirth.
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The term Renaissance denotes a revival of
interest in ancient Greek and Roman texts and
culture.
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Refers to time period between 13th and 16th
centuries.
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Started in Italy
Main Ideas
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Exploration
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Adaptation
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Globe
Intellectual
Classical to modern
Art as a Business
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Guilds
Apprenticeships
Contracts/Patrons
Signing of works
Guilds
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Associations of master craftspeople,
apprentices, and tradespeople
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Artist association
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Guided internships/apprenticeships
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Became prominent during this time
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Remained in effect until 18th c.
Apprentices
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Artists learned their trade by undertaking a
long period of technical training in shops of
master artists-known as an apprenticeship.
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Started in teens
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Began by doing menial jobs
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Eventually got their own studio
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Females were extremely rare
Patrons
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Religious Orders/Leaders
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Civic Organizations
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Wealthy Individuals
Black Death
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Bubonic Plague in 1340
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Affected art by stimulating more religious
themed art and architecture
St. Francis- panel from an altarpiece
-Berlinghieri
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Panel from an altarpiece is the earliest
known pictorial of St. Francis’ life.
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Tempera painting on canvas with strong
Byzantine influence
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Frontal --Gold
Floating
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Shows detailed scenes from his life.
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St. Francis wears the woolen belted cloak of the
Franciscans
Stigmata.
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St. Francis (1181-1226)
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Was son of wealthy merchant, threw off
father’s wealth, embraced poverty.
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Started Franciscan Order
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had one strict, simple rule, insisting that his
followers live by the work of their own hands or by
begging.
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Dressed in simple habit
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Experienced stigmata-second coming of
Christ?
Baptistery of Pisa Pulpit-Nicola Pisano
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Composed of carved marble reliefs and
ornamentation used for large pulpits.
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Lions support every other column
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Tri-lobed arches carry on Medieval/Romanesque
traditions
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Ornate capitals are a Gothic variation of Corinthian
capitals
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Arches are round and very Roman in their
characteristics.
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Large rectangular reliefs consist of densely
packed/crowded figures.
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Three dimensional movement of the figures
with convincing, organic drapery.
Madonna Enthroned With Angels and Prophets-Cimabue,
1280-1290
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Last great painter in Byzantine style
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Gold background
Lines of gold in Mary’s drapery
Long, thin proportion
Faces
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The elaborate throne has no visible support at the
back but seems instead to rise upward. It’s not
realistically grounded.
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More 3D than Byzantine in space
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Homunculus Jesus
Giotto & Duccio
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Between 1290 and 1310, Duccio from Siena
and Giotto from Florence redefined Western
art.
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Duccio and Giotto began to reject Byzantine
tradition.
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These men began the period of transition
between Byzantine art and the art of the
Renaissance.
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They rediscovered the human form, human
emotions, and the natural world. (Precursors
of the new revolutionary style)
Madonna Enthroned-Giotto, 1310
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Cimabue’s apprentice
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Often known as the father of Western art
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Displaced the flat Byzantine style with a style
that emphasized the natural world
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Weight
Light/shadow
Believable sense of space
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Lingering hints of the Byzantine style:
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gold background
disproportion of Madonna and the other figures
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However she is on a 3-D throne and her body
has volume and form.
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The angels surrounding her also have much
more natural and realistic features
Interior of Arena Chapel-Giotto, 1305-1306
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The entire interior is made up of fresco
paintings.
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Takes its name from the Roman amphitheater
(it was constructed near the ruins)
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Built for Enrico Scrovegni, a wealthy Paduan
merchant, on a site adjacent to his palace.
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Intended for his private use.
CHARACTERISTICS:
 Rectangular barrel-vaulted hall
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6 narrow windows on southern wall
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One of the most impressive and complete
pictorial cycles of Christian Redemption ever
rendered
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On 3 levels
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38 framed pictures
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Life of Mary, Life of Christ
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Ceiling is bright blue
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Same blue used throughout paintings to unify
the entire chapel
Christ Entering Jerusalem, Arena Chapel-Giotto
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Giotto simplifies the theme, not adding in
things that aren’t essential
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Focus on balance
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3D quality compared to Byzantine
Lamentation, Arena Chapel-Giotto
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Excellent example of Giotto’s ability to
portray emotion
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Helpless, grief-stricken, anguished
Expect it from figures you can’t see
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Influenced by religious plays
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Frescoes ushered in a new style that lasted for
7 centuries
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Revived the naturalistic approach of the
Greeks and Romans
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Backs to us=audience participating,
emphasize foreground
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Indicated weight and depth through mastery of
light and shade
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Light to dark in drapery
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Set the stage for chiaroscuro
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Use of dramatic light and dark to create a
modeled or exceptionally 3D appearance
Perspective, sense of space
Giotto’s Kiss of Judas
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Can you recognize Giotto’s style?
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Notice the eyes
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Blue of Arena Chapel
Duccio
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From Siena, rival city of Florence
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Their patron saint was Mary
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Siena’s cathedral directors commissioned
Duccio to build a two-sided freestanding altar
piece in honor of Mary
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Worked on this altar piece for 3 yrs
Virgin & Child Enthroned with Saints
-Duccio
Also known as Maesta
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Central and largest portion of altar piece
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Mary is enthroned as the Queen of Heaven,
while dressed in a blue robe she towers above
the surrounding saints, angels, and apostles.
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The gold background= splendor of Heaven.
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The precious materials are also meant to
reinforce the work’s timeless and spiritual
message.
Christ Entering Jerusalem-Duccio
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on the back of the Maesta
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the architecture of this picture frames the crowd
make it more understandable than similar
Byzantine portrayals.
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diagonal movement into the depths of the
painting, and this movement is created by walls
on either side of the road leading into the city.
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Other than these characteristics it is very
Byzantine in its style and characteristics.
Kiss of Judas (Betrayal of Jesus), Sienna Cathedral
-Duccio
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It shows a dramatic sequence of events triggered
by Judas’ treacherous kiss.
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The figures in this piece show a wide range of
emotion
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the terrified apostles flee
enraged Peter cuts of the ear of the high priest’s
servant
Jesus, dress in a purple robe symbolizing royalty, stays
calm even amidst this chaotic scene.
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The robe of these figures also display a
naturalistic approach
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Unlike the flat erect Byzantine forms Duccio’s
forms seem animated and 3-dimensional
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Achieved this by depicting the fall of light and
shade across the figure.
Palazzo Publico,Siena Italy
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Gothic city hall that was built to show evidence
of their confidence and stable government.
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The building also contains a 330 foot
campanile which was used as a lookout tower
for the city.
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The annual horserace (an event that Siena is
famous for) is run every year in the courtyard of
this area.
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Great artist Ambrogio Lorezetti was hired to
create three paintings of good and bad
government to hang inside 13’ H 27’W
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Lorenzetti’s huge paintings were the first
secular paintings in Italy since Christianity
became the official religion
Peaceful City, Siena-Ambrogio Lorenzetti
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Shows a realistic picture of Sienna at the time.
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The benefits of good government:
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prosperous merchants sell goods from well-stocked
shops
attentive students listen to knowledgeable teachers
joyous maidens dance to the beat of a tambourine.
The people are in high fashion.
They are all celebrating the joys of a good
government.
Peaceful Country, Sienna-Ambrogio Lorenzetti
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Contented peasants working in terraced
vineyards, bountiful fields that lead to
undisturbed, distant hill sides
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upper left corner there is an allegorical figure
that holds a scroll with an inscription promising
safety to all who live under the rule of law.
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she provides a pictorial message showing a
criminal swinging from the rope. He has been
executed for violating the laws of the good
government.
Allegory of Bad Government
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Only details left, much damaged
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Inhabited by fear, poverty, corruption,
disease, isolation
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"Because each seeks only his own good, in
this city, Justice is subjected to Tyranny;
wherefore along this road nobody passes
without fearing for his life, since there are
robberies outside and inside the city gates."
Annunciation-Simone Martini
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International Gothic--brilliant colors, lavish
costumes, and exquisite ornamental design
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Back completely in gold leaf
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Simone Martini great artist of time, apprentice
to Duccio
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Angel Gabriel comes to tell Mary she will have
God’s son, presents her with lilies to show
innocence
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Mary is stunned, shy, closing Bible