Giotto di Bondone (1267-1337)
SETTING A PRECEDENT
Florentine painter, architect, and sculptor Giotto is best known for his masterful frescos that grace every wall in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, Italy. The murals, commissioned by 14th-century Italian nobleman Enrico degli Scrovegni to adorn the chapel adjacent to his family’s palace, tell the Biblical stories of Joachim and Anna, the Virgin Mary, and the life and death of Christ. In addition to creating dramatic compositions and capturing emotional depth, Giotto was especially adept at depicting his subjects with a realism and precision unseen in the work of any other artist of the time. His technique departed from the conventional methods of the medieval tradition and marked a turning point in Western art.
Giotto’s luminous frescos adorn the walls of the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, Italy.
Much of Giotto’s recorded biographical information comes from 16th-century art historian Giorgio Vasari in his seminal c. 1550 text, Lives of the the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects—although it should be noted that some of the facts contained therein are debatable. It is generally accepted, however, that Giotto trained with the famous artist Cimabue, whose aesthetic partially influenced that of his protégé. According to Vasari, Cimabue invited Giotto to apprentice in his workshop when, while out on a walk, he observed the boy drawing images on rocks of the sheep that he was charged with watching.
In time, Giotto became known for his superior frescos and received commissions from the papacy and a number of wealthy patrons; moreover, his skill and originality appealed to a number of subsequent artists, including the great Michelangelo, whose work reveals some of Giotto’s influence. —RJR
Notable works: Raising of Lazarus, 1305; The Lamentation, 1306; Madonna Ognissanti, 1310.
FUN FACT
Seeing Giotto’s magnificent art doesn’t require a trip to Italy. Take a virtual tour of the Scrovegni Chapel at www.giottoagliscrovegni.it.