GIOTTO di Bondone
Italian Early Renaissance Painter, 1267-1337
Italian painter and designer. In his own time and place he had an unrivalled reputation as the best painter and as an innovator, superior to all his predecessors, and he became the first post-Classical artist whose fame extended beyond his lifetime and native city. This was partly the consequence of the rich literary culture of two of the cities where he worked, Padua and Florence. Writing on art in Florence was pioneered by gifted authors and, although not quite art criticism, it involved the comparison of local artists in terms of quality. The most famous single appreciation is found in Dante's verses (Purgatory x) of 1315 or earlier. Exemplifying the transience of fame, first with poets and manuscript illuminators, Dante then remarked that the fame of Cimabue, who had supposed himself to be the leader in painting, had now been displaced by Giotto. Ironically, this text was one factor that forestalled the similar eclipse of Giotto's fame, which was clearly implied by the poet.
ID: 62993 The Birth of the Virgin 1304-06 Fresco, 200 x 185 cm Cappella Scrovegni (Arena Chapel), Padua The six scenes on the wall opposite to the scenes from the life of Joachim show the Birth of the Virgin, the Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple, and the four episodes pertaining to her marriage: the Rods brought to the Temple, the Prayer of the Suitors, the Marriage of the Virgin and the Wedding Procession. The birth of the Virgin takes place in the same house as the annunciation to Anne. In the small room, somewhat too narrow for the figures, Anne sits up in bed and is handed the baby in its swaddling clothes by a nursemaid. The child appears for a second time in the idyllic scene in front of the mothers bed. As in the Annunciation scene, Giotto also shows the view of the building from outside. He does not divide interior and exterior, but connects them using the two women. Artist: GIOTTO di Bondone Painting Title: No. 7 Scenes from the Life of the Virgin: 1. The Birth of the Virgin , 1301-1350 Painting Style: Italian , , religious
