probably c. 1320~30, 85*62cm
Whereas Duccio was a reinterpreter of Byzantine art, his
great Florentine contemporary, Giotto transformed it. His
revolutionary approach to form, and his way of depicting
realistic "architectural"space(so that his figures are in scale
in relation to his buildings and the surroun-
ding landscape), mark
a great leap forward in the story of painting. Sculptural form and
space have entered the flat space of painting, and the paintings
breathe, released once and for all
from the rigid and stylized Byzantine tradition. Giotto's panel
paintings are necessarily physic-
ally smaller than his frescoes,
but in them he seems to transcend size. Even a small Madonna and Child has a weight of human significance
that makes it seem large. Mary looks out on us with tender
dignity, and the Child, kingly in person, sits on her arm as
on a throne. Yet we are not kept at a distance: we approach with reverence, but we do not stay shyly away.
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