[CHP. 12- Precursors of the RenaissanceI]
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Learning Goals
After reading the chapter you should be able to do the following:
Identify the works and define the terms featured in this chapter
Describe the emergence of humanism in Italy
Label the leading art centers on a map of Italy, France, and the Netherlands
Describe the process of tempera painting and fresco
Compare Giotto and Cimabue
Describe the structure of an altarpiece
Describe the steps of apprenticeship in an artist's studio
Give a brief description of the life and philosophy of Saint Francis of Assisi
Compare Duccio's Maestà with Giotto's Arena Chapel frescoes
Describe how Ambrogio Lorenzetti's Good Government frescoes were innovative
Discuss the effects of the Black Death on society and art in the second half of the fifteenth century
Describe the International Gothic style using examples from the chapter
Compare Giotto's Annunciation with the Limbourg brothers' Annunciation.
Renaissance Precursors, 13th–14th centuries
Humanist movement; Petrarch; Boccaccio
Artists: Pisano; Cimabue; Giotto; Duccio; Ambrogio Lorenzetti; Orcagna; Simone Martini; Sluter; Limbourg brothers
Dante, Divine Comedy; Saint Francis of Assisi
1348
Bubonic plague (Black Death)
1337–1453
Hundred Years' War
International Gothic Style
Overview
Much of Europe would continue in the Gothic tradition into the 16th century. It is possible to see the beginnings of the Renaissance in Italy during
the 13th Century. This is considered a transitional period between Middle Ages and Renaissance
A number of artists stylistically possess qualities seen in the Renaissance while they are primarily associated with the Middle Ages. These artists
primarily relied upon earlier works from Byzantium and the Gothic style for inspiration rather than to Greece and Rome as the Renaissance artists
would. These artists representing the transition between the medieval and Renaissance styles include:


Duccio di Buoninsegna
Giotto di Bondone- used shallow-stage perspective, emotion, modeling of form; reinvented naturalistic painting
Though for much of Europe the Gothic style continued into the sixteenth century, the beginnings of the Renaissance style can be seen rising in Italy
during the late thirteenth century. Among the artists whose works represent the transition between the medieval and Renaissance styles are
Nicola Pisano, Duccio di Buoninsegna, Giotto di Bondone, and Claus Sluter. Stylistically their work possessed qualities that would be seen in the
Renaissance period. However, they are still frequently associated with the Middle Ages because, though the Renaissance artist typically looked to
Greece and Rome for inspiration, these artists still primarily relied upon earlier works from Byzantium and the Gothic style.
The Early Renaissance was a time of experimentation; it was during this time that artists discovered the mathematical formulas necessary for
representing perspective and space accurately on a twodimensional surface. There was innovation not only in architecture and painting, but also
in sculpture, where the movement toward an art of realism based upon observation was at the same time interpreted in a Classical mode.
Also known as Proto-Renaissance artists because their work preceded the Early Renaissance by more than 50 years.
These artists demonstrated qualities that would also be seen during the Early and High Renaissance. In other words, the Proto-Renaissance artists
foreshadow the Renaissance.
Their seminal work influenced the Renaissance artists
Cimabue
Giotto
Duccio
Nicola Pisano
Lorenzetti
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Reminder: Characteristics of the BYZANTINE STYLE:
It is important to remember that the Byzantine style dominated Italian art during the Middle Ages. The style featured:
----- Stiff, linear, and flat figures
----- A lack of human emotion
----- Gold background – emphasizes the “other world” and thus lacks naturalism
----- Figures don’t occupy real space. They seem to float above the ground
Key Terms
altarpiece
a painted or sculpted work of art designed to stand above or behind an altar.
arriccio
the rough first coat of plaster in a fresco.
diptych
a writing tablet or work of art consisting of two panels side by side and connected by hinges.
gesso
a white coating made of chalk, plaster, and size that is spread over a surface to make it more receptive to paint and
smoother.
giornata
in Italian, a day's work.
intonaco
a final layer of smooth plaster added one patch at a time in preparing a fresco surface.
pinnacles
a slender, vertical architectural element ending in a small spire.
predella
the lower part of an altarpiece, often decorated with small scenes that are related to the subject of the main panel.
sinopie (sinopia)
a brush drawing made in preparation for a fresco painting.
stigmata
marks resembling the wounds on the crucified body of Christ (from stigma, "a mark" or "scar").
stigmatization
marks resembling the wounds on the crucified body of Christ (from stigma, "a mark" or "scar").
triptych
an altarpiece or painting consisting of one central panel and two wings.
Precursors to the Renaissance
During the 12th century and into the 13th century, Byzantine art would continue to be a major influence especially in Italy. The classical texts and
artist were coming back to the west and their influence would help to germinate the ground for the Renaissance. Depending on the art historian,
the 13th century can be considered early renaissance especially in Italy because of the obvious classical visual references. A rise in humanism would
surface at this time, this movement inspired by ancient text that would find its way back west. Literacy increases in the general population. Artists
would study the works of antiquity. It would become common for artists to sign their work.
Precursors of the Renaissance exhibit several important features that will be expanded upon during the Early Renaissance.




Great interest in human anatomy – proportions are more accurate, more interest in the human form
Greater amounts of naturalism – they model figures and objects with shadow to convey the illusion of mass. Artists attempt to convey
the direction of the light source and use shading accordingly.
Greater sense of depth/ recessional space – the artists begin to create the illusion of a three-dimensional world on a two dimensional
surface. Early Renaissance artists will take this interest in pictorial illusionism even further.
Greater expression of human personality and emotionThe great Precursors of the Renaissance were working in Italy during the early
1300’s or 14th century.
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Thirteenth-Century Italy
Major Shift in Western European Art: Renaissance A self-conscious revival of interests in ancient
Greek and Roman texts and culture.
13th Century
Christian painting and sculpture were just beginning to break away from the restraints of the dogma
and conventions of the earlier medieval period.
Breaking away in order to give greater human emotional content to religious subject
matter.
The life and teachings of St. Francis of Assisi had been largely responsible for this.
Also responsible were the contacts with French Gothic art.
Nicola Pisano (1220 – 1284)
The marble pulpit of the baptistery of Pisa Cathedral (1259-1260), by the sculptor Nicola Pisano (c.
1220-1278), incorporates elements of both medieval and Classical design. Though the lions at the
base of the columns supporting the pulpit are typically medieval, the round arches, Corinthianlike
capitals, and rectangular reliefs that enclose the pulpit all have a Classical quality. Pisano's use of
the Classical prototype is clearly seen in the organization and treatment of the figures in the relief
panels of the pulpit, which are similar to some relief panels found on Roman sarcophagi. One of
Pisano's panels in particular, the Nativity, represents figures that are obviously classically inspired in
their heavy forms, proportion, posture, and costuming.
This is a Baptistry that is carved out of marble. It is located in Pisa. On the pulpit there are
characteristics of the following styles: PISANO sculpted a famous PULPIT for the baptistery of PISA.
Remember PISANO’S PULPIT at PISA!
Gothic (Columns and Trilobite arches)
Roman (round arches)
Pulpit carved by Nicola Pisano – he proudly signed and dated it March 25, 1259 to March 24, 1260
and added an inscription proclaiming himself the greatest sculptor of his time.
2.
Christian subjects and symbolism
Lions refer to Solomon’s throne and here denote the foundation on which the teachings of
Christ are built
Panels portray scenes from the New Testament
Figures represent seven virtues
But the forms are clearly based upon Classical models
•
ANNUNCIATION and NATIVITY scene. Remind us of sculpture on a Roman sarcophagus
Key Points to Remember
•
Pisano was in important sculptor in Italy
•
Pisano is known for his strong interest in Classical forms
•
Pisano is an important forerunner of the Renaissance
•
Work had an impact on Giotto
This shift from flat, linear figures to more massive forms is evident in
sculptures. The revival of the classical style of art also would also
stimulate an interest in the natural world. The carvings are related
to the Roman sarcophagi’s in the early Christian period. The
classical style was favored by the Emperor of the Holy Roman
Empire. He brought German and French artists together into his
Empire, and this cross fertilization of regional visual traditions would
help to create a more dynamic style. The virgin is seen as a high
society Roman lady lounging, she waited upon by her subjects, and
her appearance is rounded and more massive. Uses shallow space to
create and show several different activities in one scene.
12.1 Nicola Pisano- Pulpit (1259-1260)
Marble, 15 ft. high.
Pisa Bapistery. Pisa, Italy.
Photo: WNCC Slide Library
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Giovanni Pisano
Nicola Pisano's son, Giovanni Pisano (c. 1250-after 1314), was also a sculptor. His marble panel relief
of the Nativity from the pulpit of Pisa Cathedral (Santa Andrea of Pistoia) (1302-13 10), created some
forty years after his father's classicized work, is very different in treatment. The elder Pisano's figures
seem somewhat heavy and stiff when compared to the animated and "plastic" forms created by his
son.
Cimabue:
This is the Madonna Enthroned, made of tempera on wood. It has or resembles many characteristics
of the Byzantine style including a gold background, the drapery on Mary's robes, the figures are long
and thin, and the image of Christ appears as that of a young man.
The more traditional Byzantine was still in vogue in Italy. The Italo-Byzantine style was more
prevalent in altar pieces. Cimabue was the last of the great Byzantine artist. His Virgin and Child
enthroned is an altar piece that stands over 12 feet high and is completely cover, front and back, with
Byzantine iconography.
12.3 Cimabue- Madonna Enthroned (c. 1280-1290)
Tempera on wood; 12 ft 7 in. x 7 ft. 4 in. Galleri degli
Uffizi, Florence, Italy
Photo: LaCour Slide Library.
Fourteenth-Century Italy
Once attention had been drawn to human emotion, it was only natural that interest in
the human being himself and in his physical surroundings should follow.
The resulting secularization of religious subject matter is apparent in the paintings of
the 14th century.
GIOTTO (1267 – 1337)
A.
Introduction
1. “I am he through whose merit the lost art of painting was revived; whose hand was a faultless as
it was compliant. What my art lacked nature herself lacked; to none other was it given to paint more
or better… But what need is there for words? I am Giotto, and my name alone tells more than a
lengthy ode.”
2.
Born near Florence
3.
Drawing images of sheep on a rock
4.
Discovered by an artist (Cimabue) who instantly recognized the genius of the young shepherd
5. Giotto went beyond the Byzantine style and painted what he observed in nature. His interest in
the natural world resurrected an aspect of Classical antiquity.
6. Compare Giotto’s Madonna and Child to Cimabue’s Madonna and Child – How does Giotto’s
compare to Cimabue’s?
B.
The Arena Chapel – background
1.
Padua, a small town 25 miles southwest of Venice
2.
An AVARICIOUS (greedy) father – Reginaldo Scrovegni
3.
A REPENTENT son – Enrico Scrovegni
4.
A new chapel built on the site of an old Roman arena and thus called the Arena Chapel
5.
The walls needed art!
C.
Inside the Arena Chapel
1.
One of the most remarkable fresco cycles in Western Art
Displaced the Byzantine style
Established painting as a major art form for the next 600 years
Restored the naturalistic approach invented by the ancients and largely abandoned in the
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Middle Ages
2.
Three registers
•
The life of Mary
•
The life of Christ
•
The Passion of Christ
3.
Last Judgment on the western wall
D.
Examples
1.
The Kiss of Judas
•
Narrative – Judas, one of Christ’s Twelve Apostles, has betrayed him for thirty pieces of silver.
He leads the authorities, who are angry with Christ for his teachings, to arrest Jesus while he is alone
with the other apostles in the Garden of Gethsemane
•
Judas told the authorities that he would greet Christ with a kiss in order to identify him for
arrest
•
Giotto has the startling power to organize the excitement of a scene around a central image. For
example, torches blaze and weapons whirl. But at the heart there is only a tragic stillness as Jesus
looks into the mock-friendly eyes of his PERFIDIOUS (treacherous) disciple Judas. “Judas, must you
betray me with a kiss?”
•
The betrayer and betrayed confront each other in a moment suspended in time. Note Jesus’
searching gaze. He silently communicates both foreknowledge that he is being betrayed and
understanding of Judas’ heart
•
Notice how the gesticulating priest on the right is counter-balanced by the apostle Peter on the
left, who, in his anger, has cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest
2.
The Lamentation (Gardner 531)
Real People, Real Emotions
Mary’s almost fierce despair
Mary Magdalene looks solemnly at the wounds in Christ’s feet
Saint John makes a wild gesture of despairing grief as he flings back his arms
Philosophical resignation of two disciples at the right
And in the sky, 10 wildly passionate angels express their overwhelming grief
Real space
The canvas or wall is a flat space. The artist’s task is to create a convincing illusion of real
people occupying real space. The rocky ledge forms a long diagonal plane that leads the
viewer to the painting’s focal point – the heads of Christ and the Virgin
Note the tree in the background, Its barrenness and isolation suggest that all of nature
shares in the sorrow of the Savior’s death. Yet, it also carries a symbolic message: it refers
to the Tree of Knowledge, which the sin of Adam and Eve had caused to wither and would
be restored to life through the sacrificial death of Christ
First step toward the development of CHIAROSCURO – the use of dramatic contrasts of
light and dark to produce the illusion of fully rounded or sculpted figures
3.
Last Judgment
•
A traditional scene with very distinctive touches:
•
Christ the Judge is in the center surrounded by a rainbow mandorla or oval of light
•
The saved are to his right and the damned to his left
•
Let’s take a close look at Satan and Hell
•
Who is the tiny white-robed figure?
•
Let’s also take a close look at the figures at the base of the cross
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Boccaccio: "Giotto... brought the art of painting out of medieval darkness into the daylight"..."master
of clarity and illusionism."
Giotto
Giotto restored an interest in naturalism to the depiction of the human figure. Giotto is famous
because his paintings depict REAL PEOPLE OCCUPYING REAL SPACE (meaning that they look like they
are firmly on the ground and there is a sense of foreground and depth) and showing REAL HUMAN
EMOTION.
Giotto
The Florentine painter Giotto di Bondone (c. 1267-1337) went to even further extremes than Duccio
in his treatment of space. As seen in the Arena Chapel in Padua, Giotto's fresco painting The
Lamentation (1305-1306) represents a very different manner of depicting space within a painting.
Instead of flattening out the forms as areas of decorative space, Giotto treats the composition as if it
were a theatrical scene upon a stage, with the viewer as audience. In effect, the space of the picture
plane begins with the viewer and then seems to recede con¬tinuously into the picture, drawing the
viewer along. Though the illusion of looking "through a window" into a scene is a common one for us
today, during the fourteenth century it was considered to be quite revolutionary. This effect,
combined with Giotto's treatment of his figures within the painting as emotional, feeling beings,
produced an image with a powerful impact.
12.4 Giotto- Madonna Enthroned
(Ognissanti Madonna) (c. 1310)
Tempera on wood; 10 ft 8 in. x 6 ft. 8 in.
Galleri degli Uffizi, Florence, Italy
Photo: LaCour Slide Library.
Madonna Enthroned
Giotto created illusions of 3D space, the draperies correspond to the body’s movement and are more
naturalistic. The use of shadows (not gold lines like Cimabue) allow for a more believable image and
the reality of the infant Christ (he is portrayed in better proportion).
Giotto was discovered by Cimabue and became one of his best students. But even though Cimabue
was considered a master of art, it was Giotto’s work that is often credited with the transition to the
renaissance. Generally speaking, Giotto’s figures more massive and actual attempt to take up space.
This is ground breaking work, an artist actually trying to replicate nature on a flat surface. His Virgin
and Child Enthroned still has some similarity to Cimabue: Mary’s features still that of the Italo
Byzantine, the pointed arched throne, gold background, Christ child adult looking (though more child
like in appearance than Cimabue) and the enigmatic face as well as the employment of the hieratic
scale.
The change is seen in the drapery of Mary’s clothing. Byzantine art defined folds and drapery with
lines, but Giotto uses shadows and lights to create a convincing sense of mass. Even the throne
appears to be supported and not floating off in space.
The Arena Chapel
Giotto painted the Arena Chapel. It was the first great fresco cycle since the end of Classical
Civilization.
The murals in the Arena chapel for the Scrovegni family in Padua Italy are considered his
masterpiece. A simple barrel vaulted room is completely covered with Last Judgment, allegorical
images of vice and virtue, Life of Christ and Life of the Virgin. The central vault is covered in a starry
sky mural
12.5 Giotto- Interior, looking east, of the Arena Chapel
(c. 1305) Fresco; Arena Chapel,
Padua, Italy
Photo: LaCour Slide Library
To prepare a surface for frescoes, the walls were covered with arriccio a course plaster that could
hold paint. The artist drew out the composition in charcoal and sinope (red ocher mixed with water),
another layer was added of smooth plaster (intonaco), colors were than added to the intonaco while
damp. This whole process was roughly one day work or a giornata.
12.9 Giotto- Last Judgment (c. 1310)
Fresco; approx. 33 ft x 27 ft. 3/4 in.
Arena Chapel, Padua, Italy
Photo: WNCC Slide Library
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12.8 Giotto-Crucifixion (c. 1305)
Fresco; Arena Chapel,
Padua, Italy
Photo: WNCC Slide Library
Giotto reduces form and content to create emotional and dramatic
scenes, like the Pisano nativity. Giotto also uses typological
references. In the crucifixion scene Christ is hung on a hill which was
called the Place of Skull. The skull in under the cross is supposedly
Adams. Giotto tries to convey real human emotion and suffering
while keeping the environment and surrounding simple and sparse
which is a Franciscan value. The Italo-Byzantine paintings helped to
develop the international gothic style, but the new Florentine style
personified in the work of Giotto would gain popularity and develop
into the early renaissance style of the 14th century.
Crucifixion
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Giotto-The Lamentation (c. 1305-06)
7 ft. 7 inches x 7 ft 9 inches.
Fresco; Arena Chapel,
Padua, Italy
Photo© LaCour Slide Library
Living With Art Slide Set
The sky is filled with two symmetrical groups of angles
which act as a foil to restrained emotions of the figures that
are located on the lower half of the image. The image also
shows Christ’s arms very elongated with drawn out muscles
and an elongated torso. His body is also visible even through
the cloth that is used to cloth him.
Giotto, after a while would return to his home town of Florence, Italy. He continued to work and
produced frescoes about the life of Saint Francis of Assisi in 2 separate chapels. Giotto would
tastefully depict St Francis life in a way that would show his humility and humble life. .
This is a fresco on the outer wall of the Bardi Chapel. It depicts Saint Francis, who is pressured
poverty as a way to gain more knowledge of religion and spirituality.
Giotto
Stigmatization of St. Francis, Bardi Chapel, Santa Croce,
Florence
Photo: LaCour Slide Library
Duccio
The work of the Sienese painter Duccio di Buoninsegna (c. 1255¬1319) may also be considered transitionary, as seen in his altarpiece, the Maesta
Altar (1308-1311), which portrays, on one side, the Madon¬na as the Queen of Heaven and, on the other side, various scenes from the life of
Christ. Here Duccio's contribution to later artists is seen in his treatment of space within the composition as well as in the manner in which he has
modeled his figures (in contrast to the traditionally flat Byzantine style of depiction). These qualities are especially evident in the section Christ
Entering Jerusalem. Here the architecture is not flattened out and used merely as background for the action taking place in the foreground, but is
staggered within the picture plane and is used to create a sense of "real" space with depth and mass. It is also
significant to note the way in which Duccio utilizes light and dark to define the figures and the drapery that envelops them. His treatment also
effectively guides the viewer through the composition.
Duccio's Maesta
Duccio was a contemporary of Giotto and is also considered an important Precursor of the Renaissance. Duccio was also interest in including
naturalism in his paintings
One of the leading artists in fourteenth century Siena was Duccio di Buoninsegna. He worked in a style that was greatly influenced by Byzantine
work. He was commissioned to produce an altarpiece for the Siena Cathedral. The completed altarpiece, meaning "Majesty," was double-sided and
consisted of over fifty panels.
The iconography of the altarpiece covers the full range of the virgin's majesty and of her maternity.
The arts were greatly affected by the Sienese government. Siena was by a group known as the "Nine." They were devoted to the Virgin Mary and
believed she was responsible for a military battle victory over Florence.
The style in Duccio's painting shows elongated faces and lack of spatial depth.
IV. Duccio’s Maesta (Gardner’s 532 and 533)
A.
Background
1.
Duccio (1278 – 1318) was a prominent SIENESE painter who was a contemporary of Giotto.
2.
SIENA was Florence’s leading commercial and artistic rival.
3.
In 1308, officials of the Siena Cathedral commissioned Duccio to paint a Madonna in Majesty or “Maesta” surrounded by prophets, apostles,
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angels, and episodes from the lives of the Virgin and Christ.
4. After 12 months of devoted labor, Duccio finished the painting. The completed work was 13 feet high and 14 feet wide. It included more than
60 individual panels on its front and back.
5.
Duccio’s fee of 3,000 gold crowns was the highest ever paid for a work of this kind.
6. The result was a triumph for Duccio and Siena. A contemporary chronicler wrote: “On the day when the Maesta was brought to the Duomo, all
shops were closed and the Bishop ordained that there should be a great procession. All the townspeople flocked together to see the Maesta. The
bells rang out a festive peal to welcome in this most noble altarpiece.”
7.
A signature – “Grant peace to Siena, grant life to Duccio because he painted thee thus.”
B.
Art Techniques and Types
1.
Altarpiece – a devotional panel painting placed in front of the altar in order to engage viewers in the sacred drama of Mass.
2.
Tempera on wood
•
The wooden panels are glued and braced together. Apprentices sanded the wood until it was smooth.
•
They sealed it with several layers of glutinous material to fill in the pores in the panel.
•
The last step in the preparation of the panel was the addition of several layers of gesso, a water-based paint thickened with chalk.
3.
PREDELLA – the base of an altarpiece. It contains smaller paintings.
C.
Let’s take a look at the main panel.
1.
Byzantine tradition
•
Gold background
•
Traditional composition – Mary and Christ are given a central position
•
Symmetrical
•
Figure of Mary is very formal as appropriate for her importance
2.
New Naturalism
•
Figures turn to each other in quiet conversation
•
Saints in the foreground have individualized faces
•
The drapery, particularly that of the female saints at both ends of the panel, falls and curves loosely. (Reminds us of the drapery on the
statuette of Mary on page 505)
D.
Key points to remember
1.
Technique is tempera on panel
2.
Date is early 1300’s
3.
Shows strong Byzantine influence
4.
Part of an altarpiece
5.
Made for Cathedral in Siena
6.
Siena was a rival of Florence
7.
Virgin is surrounded by the patron saints of the city
IV. Duccio’s Maesta (Gardner’s 532 and 533)
A.
Background
1.
Duccio (1278 – 1318) was a prominent SIENESE painter who was a contemporary of Giotto.
2.
SIENA was Florence’s leading commercial and artistic rival.
3. In 1308, officials of the Siena Cathedral commissioned Duccio to paint a Madonna in Majesty or “Maesta” surrounded by prophets, apostles,
angels, and episodes from the lives of the Virgin and Christ.
4. After 12 months of devoted labor, Duccio finished the painting. The completed work was 13 feet high and 14 feet wide. It included more than
60 individual panels on its front and back.
5.
Duccio’s fee of 3,000 gold crowns was the highest ever paid for a work of this kind.
6. The result was a triumph for Duccio and Siena. A contemporary chronicler wrote: “On the day when the Maesta was brought to the Duomo, all
shops were closed and the Bishop ordained that there should be a great procession. All the townspeople flocked together to see the Maesta. The
bells rang out a festive peal to welcome in this most noble altarpiece.”
7.
A signature – “Grant peace to Siena, grant life to Duccio because he painted thee thus.”
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B.
Art Techniques and Types
1.
Altarpiece – a devotional panel painting placed in front of the altar in order to engage viewers in the sacred drama of Mass.
2.
Tempera on wood
•
The wooden panels are glued and braced together. Apprentices sanded the wood until it was smooth.
•
They sealed it with several layers of glutinous material to fill in the pores in the panel.
•
The last step in the preparation of the panel was the addition of several layers of gesso, a water-based paint thickened with chalk.
3.
PREDELLA – the base of an altarpiece. It contains smaller paintings.
C.
Let’s take a look at the main panel.
1.
Byzantine tradition
•
Gold background
•
Traditional composition – Mary and Christ are given a central position
•
Symmetrical
•
Figure of Mary is very formal as appropriate for her importance
2.
New Naturalism
•
Figures turn to each other in quiet conversation
•
Saints in the foreground have individualized faces
•
The drapery, particularly that of the female saints at both ends of the panel, falls and curves loosely. (Reminds us of the drapery on the
statuette of Mary on page 505)
D.
Key points to remember
1.
Technique is tempera on panel
2.
Date is early 1300’s
3.
Shows strong Byzantine influence
4.
Part of an altarpiece
5.
Made for Cathedral in Siena
6.
Siena was a rival of Florence
7.
Virgin is surrounded by the patron saints of the city
In Siena, Italy the Italo-Byzantine style was still very prominent. In 1308
Duccio di Buonisegna created a very large altarpiece for the main altar for
Siena cathedral that was decorated on both sides. The central panel alone
was 7 feet by 13 feet. The color palette is extremely bright and brilliant,
with tooled gold leaf design referred to as punchwork. The front of the
altarpiece is the Virgin is exalted as Queen of heaven.
12.13b Duccio- Maesta from the Siena Cathedral
(c. 1308-1311)
Tempera and gold on panel; Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Siena, Italy
Photo: LaCour Slide Library.
In both the work of Duccio and Giotto we see 2 styles that are coexisting in Italy in the 14th century.
Both artists’ Kiss of Judas reflects the different styles.
Duccio’s Kiss is set on a gold background with limited reference to nature. Figures are crowded
around Jesus. The faces are generic and seem to have the same expression; the apostles are
completely separated from the main event. Jesus and Judas do not face each. The action seems to
happen all at once.
Duccio was more closely tied to the Byzantine tradition, whereas Giotto's work reflected a revival in
classical humanism. Duccio's panel is more densely packed with figures that the mosaic. It has a
sense of movement and emotion. Giotto's work also shows a great deal of naturalism. Giotto was
Duccio
Kiss of Judas
Photo: LaCour Slide Library
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known as the first among Western artists to show the figure from a backside view.
Giotto’s Kiss of Judas introduces naturalism to the painting. There are not a lot more naturalistic
elements in the painting. Jesus and Judas face each other surrounded by lances and people. Giotto is
the first artist, since antiquity, to depict figures from the back. None of Giotto’s figures face out to
the viewers; he keeps the viewer’s attention on the scene
12.17 Giotto- Kiss of Judas
(c. 1305)
Fresco; Arena Chapel,
Padua, Italy
Photo: WNCC Slide Library
Ambrogio Lorenzetti and the Effects of Good Government
The effects of a well-organized government is seen in Siena. In contrast to the "Maestra," Ambrogio's
"Allegory" is secular and reflects the new humanist interest in republican government. Stylistically,
Ambrogio falls between Duccio and Giotto. His work shows remarkable realism, however, some
pieces lack the dramatic power seen in Giotto's work.
The increasingly humanistic style of the first half of the century led to a more pessimistic view of the
world with a greater emphasis on death and damnation. Works of Giotto's and others' remained
untouched and were later revived by the first generation of Italian artists.
Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s Effects of Good and Bad Government on Town and Countryside is a fresco
cycle on the inside of Siena’s Palazzo Pubblico.
Ambrogio Lorenzetti commissioned to do a fresco for the city hall in Siena some 20 years after
Duccio. This is the first monumental secular piece of art since Christianity became the official religion
in the west. This fresco confirms a shift or an expansion of patronage at this time. This is secular
artwork is definitely a reflection of the new humanist movement. These allegorically themed
paintings present a panoramic view in a naturalistic manner. We see people walking about in high
fashion, with prosperous business in the city and peaceful and bountiful harvest in the country. A
personification of security holding a scroll that says peace is prevalent in this area, and the Capitoline
wolf is depicted to link ancient Rome to Siena.
Ambrogio Lorenzetti
1. In 1338, the Siena city council commissioned Ambrogio Lorenzetti to paint in fresco a room
called the Sala della Pace in the Palazzo Pubblico (city hall) – Gardner’s 537
2. Lorenzetti chose to portray the effects of good government as well as bad government on
people’s lives.
3.
Let’s look: Gardner’s 537 and 538
•
Panoramic in style and profuse in detail. The first realistic CITYSCAPE in western painting
•
Look in the upper left hand corner. You can see the cathedral dome!
•
Everything is visible – palaces, markets, towers, streets
•
Note that the city’s traffic moves peacefully. We can even see a cluster of radiant maidens, hand
in hand, performing a graceful circling dance. Such dances were part of festive springtime rituals.
Their presence serves as a metaphor for a peaceful community.
•
A class is in session in a small school room and construction workers work on the rooftops. Both
are signs of the prosperity of a good government.
•
The countryside is also peaceful. The peasants move to and fro with their grain among verdant
fields.
•
Note the figure in the upper left corner on Gardner 538. It is an allegory for security. She holds a
scroll in one hand bidding those entering the city to come in peace. She also holds a gallows as a
reminder of the consequences of violating the peace.
4. Let’s look at the effects of bad government
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Lorenzetti chose to use the same view of the city and countryside but they look
dramatically different under a bad government.
The city is in shambles with dilapidated buildings, dead people in the street, and soldiers
grabbing one of the maidens. No classes are in session, no business is happening in the
market, and no new construction is taking place.
In the countryside, the fields look scorched and barren.
5.
Whatever happened to Ambrogio Lorenzetti?
Only a few years after completing the Effects of Good and Bad Government on Town and
Countryside, Siena lost about two-thirds of its population to the Black Plague.
Among the victims was the painter himself, Ambrogio Lorenzetti.
VI. THE PALAZZO PUBBLICO
A.
Purpose
1.
Town hall and political center
2.
Inspired respect for the city’s power and success
3.
Note the campanile (bell tower). Combination bell tower and look out
Ambrogio LorenzettiEffects of Good Government in the City and the Country, from Allegory of Good Government,
Sala della Pace, Palazzo Pubblico, Siena, Italy (c. 1338-1339) Fresco;entire wall 46 feet long.
Photo© LaCour Slide Library
Ambrogio LorenzettiEffects of Good and Bad Government on Town and Countryside
city hall in Siena
By mid 14th century the Bubonic plague would slow down activities and development in Europe. This
would effect art production; the secular humanist movement would be set back by a new religious
fervor. Patronage by religious organization would begin to increase and artist would be drawn to
death as a subject.
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The International Gothic Style
Not all artists demonstrated such an interest in naturalism. These artists developed a style that
painted people in splendid processions with lavish costumes in bright colors and with intricate detail.
This style was started by Simone Martini, another artist from Siena, and spread throughout Europe
becoming known as the INTERNATIONAL STYLE.
The International Gothic style provided an entirely different mood characterized by works
commissioned by the courts in fourteenth century Italy and France. The money they had enabled
them to import artists from all over, paying them very well. The best fourteenth century examples
were executed under French patronage.
The coexistence of the INTERNATIONAL STYLE at the same time as the work of Giotto and Duccio
reveals even more clearly why they are considered Precursors of the Renaissance.
A Sienese artist was commissioned by King Robert of Anjou to paint the Saint Louis Altarpiece. The
enthroned Franciscan Saint is dressed in embroidered velvet robes, wearing a bishop's miter. The
background was done in gold leaf. Louis is endowed with an imposing presence whereas Robert is
portrayed much smaller and in profile. Clearly, it was intentional for the Saint to be perceived with
great importance and more powerful than the earthly ruler.
Simone Martini
St. Louis of Toulouse Altarpiece. 1317.
Mus.Capodimonte, Naples
Wikipedia Commons. Public Domain
Resurgence in the Italo-Byzantine style would be seen in Siena and Simone Martini would help to
popularize it. However the Italian court would also import artists from other parts of Europe
(particularly France), and what would eventually emerge would be called the International Gothic
Style. This style more ornamental, extensive use of punchwork, delicate details, elongated forms and
rather small sweet expressions and gestures, this style was favored by the French and Italian courts.
Martini work had more of an emotional and psychological impact than his previous predecessors.
Also in his work we see more Christian symbolism being incorporated.
A.
Simone Martini
1.
Student of Duccio
2.
Siena
3.
Painted in the new “International Style”
•
Aristocratic taste for brilliant colors
•
Lavish costumes
•
Intricate ornamentation
•
Splendid processions
3.
Annunciation – Gardner’s 534
4.
The Met’s Robert Lehman Gallery has a Simone Martini Madonna and Child
Simone Martini
Saint Louis altarpiece
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Claus Sluter (1380-1406),
Claus Sluter
Virgin Mary and Christ
(1355-1406) was a 14th century Netherlandish sculptor.
a Dutch sculptor who practiced his craft in France during the last decade or so of the fourteenth
century
He was commissioned to design the Carthusian Monastery for Phillip the Bold. The purpose of the
structure was to house family tombs.
Virgin Mary and Christ
This sculpture uses the space around it well and the image of Christ is much more childlike than those
that have been seen prior to this. There is a very naturalistic approach to the sculpture showing great
detail in the drapery and her spatial flexibility is well emphasized.
, is perhaps best known for his high-relief sculpture known as The Moses Well (1395-1406). The
sculptural pedestal has six sides, and emerging from each panel is a life-size prophet from the Old
Testament. What is striking about these figures is the individuality of personality that is portrayed in
each. Though the figures themselves lack the rigidity typical of the style of the Middle Ages, this
quality is still seen in the heavy treatment of the drapery and fabric that envelop them.
Phillip the Bold, the king of France brother, was a major patron and had a very lavish court that was
insulated from the real world. Phillip moved his court to Dijon (central France), hired a French
architect and a sculptor from the Netherlands to build the Carthusian monastery which would also
serve as the family crypt. The monastery was an expensive one because the monks did not provide
for their own living expenses but were totally hermits who focused on intense meditation and prayer
at all hours for the souls of Phillip and family. Originally Flemish sculptor Jean de Marville was in
charge of the sculptural design and decoration, after his death Claus Sluter his assistant took over
project. The Well of Moses the only thing to survive after French Revolution. The sculpture is at the
center of cloister was believed to have supported a large freestanding Crucifixion, with Mary, Mary
Magdalene and St. John. The pedestal is formed by Old Testament prophets and heroes: Moses with
horns, David dressed in medieval robes and the prophets Jeremiah, Zechariah, Daniel and Isaiah.
Sluter strive to give each figure a unique characteristic and personality. This simply means that the
Humanist movement is on the upswing at this point and would continue to gain in popularity.
The Limbourg Brothers
January
France became a very powerful
nation during the Gothic period
and their courts would continue
to influence the rest of Europe.
Illuminated manuscripts
continued to be popular and
would be used for both religious
and secular purposes. The most
famous of Netherland artists were
3 brothers: Paul, Herman and
Jean-Limbourg Brothers. The
Brothers were apprentices in a
goldsmith shop in the late 14th
century and worked for the Duke
of Berry by 1404. It was while in
service to the Duke of Berry that
they produced the Tres Riches
Heures (Very Sumptuous Hours), a
book with prayers and
meditations.
The Limbourg Brothers
Most notably famous for
their illuminated
manuscripts.
Annunciation
Claus Sluter- Well of Moses
The Limbourg Brothers
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This is a scene inside a
Gothic Cathedral
depicting angles with
elegant linear forms.
The angle Gabriel is
shown confronting Mary
delivering the news that
she is the one who will
bear God's son. Gabriel
also has three lilies with
him which is used to
signify the purity of the
Virgin Mary.
January
This work shows very
precise details and is
rich in material texture.
It shows three different
events taking place at
one time: the Trojan
War, a great feast, and
the zodiac signs.
The attention to detail and replication of luxurious materials, jewelry and other items would be a
characteristic of Netherland artists.
The calendar section of the book is a full page painting that introduces each month. The subject
matter for paintings was either upper class enjoying themselves and the peasants working and
playing. The high horizon line, small natural elements and buildings are in direct relationship to
human figure and the open view of the interior of a structure was a common visual devise used in the
International Gothic style.
The international gothic style would continue into the 15th century but the groundbreaking art of
Giotto would continue to propel the renewed interest in antiquity.
Study Guide
What was the primary historical importance of the Franciscan movement?
Potential Exam Essay Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
Describe the new stylistic elements introduced by Giotto and discuss why his work was so important for the development of
Renaissance painting.
Discuss the Classical revival in Italy in the 14th century, and illustrate its influence on the arts.
Compare and contrast the styles of Cimabue's Madonna Enthroned with Giotto's Madonna Enthroned. What does each
illustrate about the artists and their times?
Describe a working day in the life of a fourteenth-century Italian fresco painter
Explain why Giotto's frescoes are more dramatic than Romanesque and Gothic pictorial imagery. Give examples from the text.
Compare the style of Duccio's Maestà with that of the Arena Chapel frescoes. Include a discussion of the patrons and the
relationship of the works to their contexts.
Compare the style of Giotto with that of International Gothic. Include a discussion of patronage and influence.
Discuss the changes in art styles in fourteenth-century Italy after 1348. Propose some possible reasons for the change.
Discuss the Classical revival in Italy in the 14th century, and illustrate its influence on the arts.
Compare and contrast the styles of the Madonna Enthroned by Cimabue and Giotto. What does each illustrate about the artists
and their times?
Describe a working day in the life of a fourteenth-century Italian fresco painter.
Explain why Giotto's frescoes are more dramatic than Romanesque and Gothic pictorial imagery. Give examples from the text.
Compare the style of Duccio's Maestà with that of the Arena Chapel frescoes. Include a discussion of the patrons and the
relationship of the works to their contexts.
Compare the style of Giotto with that of International Gothic. Include a discussion of patronage and influence.
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15. Discuss the change in art styles in fourteenth-century Italy after 1348. Propose some possible reasons for the change.