Art

Giotto di Bondone

ery little known about his early life. He was born around 1267 in Colle di Vespignano (village northeast of Florence), son of a poor peasant. As a boy, Giotto looked after father's sheep.According to legend, he drew sheep on piece of rock and the painter Cimabue passed by and was amazed; as a result, he took on the boy as a pupil.Giotto had a style that was more realistic and three-dimensional, although his paintings were of a religious nature. In 1280, Cimabue, his master, went to work in Assisi to paint in church of San Francesco, so Giotto's apprenticeship was short. He soon grew famous and had reputation of his own. He then moved to Assisi and spent next twelve years of life painting scenes from St. Francis's life. He created a sensitive and expressive portrayal of the saint that shaped St. Francis's image for hundreds of years. In 1291, he married a Florentine woman, Ricevuta di Lapo del Pela; they had eight children and bought his family a house in Florence.

Soon, though, he was summoned north to Padua, commissioned from Enrico Scrovegni, one of town's wealthiest citizens. Enrico built a chapel next to the family palace called the Arena Chapel which he wanted Giotto to decorate. Giotto's theme was the salvation of humankind from sin. The main scenes represented episodes from lives of Joachim and Anna, parents of the Virgin Mary, and the life of Mary herself and Jesus. Under these, Giotto painted the vices and virtues and representations of good and bad behavior. He also illustrated The Last Judgement over the entrance to the chapel where God separates the good from the bad.

The chapel paintings were revolutionary in that they showed more emotion and realism than ever before using solid and 3-D figures.He developed a completely new style of painting biblical scenes by trying to visualize what events actually looked like. He also set dramas in natural landscapes, unlike previous artists who painted unrealistic figures on gold backgrounds. Also adding to the realism were modeled faces and clothing full of deep folds. His paintings went to the heart of a story to illustrate with just a few elements. In 1334, the city of Florence honored Giotto with the title of Magnus Magister (Great Master) and appointed him city architect and superintendent of public works. In this capacity he designed the famous campanile (bell tower). He died in 1337, before the work was finished. Although he lacked knowledge of anatomy that later artists learned, he possessed something greater than mere technical skill: he could capture emotions and significance of human life. He was regarded as the founder of the central tradition of Western painting, and he broke free from stylizations of Byzantine art, introducing new ideals of naturalism and creating a convincing sense of pictorial space. His epitaph on his memorial tomb reads, "I am the man who raised painting from the dead."

· MAJOR WORKS: Life of St. Francis Fresco Cycle, Assisi (c. 1290-96), Arena Chapel Fresco Cycle, Padua (c. 1305-06), Ognissanti Madonna (c. 1305-1310), Life of St. Francis Frescoes, Santa Croce (c. 1325), Florence Campanile (Bell Tower) (c. 1334)