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Nicola Pisano,
pulpit of
Pisa Cathedral baptistery, Pisa, Italy, 1259-1260. Marble, approx. 15' high Carved by Nicola Pisano (from Pisa). Medieval elements - trefoil arches, and lions supporting columns. Classical elements - large bushy capitals are a Gothic variation of the highly ornate Corinthian capitals. The arches are round like Roman architecture, rather than the pointed Gothic arches. The large rectangular relief panels resemble a Roman sarcophagus. (seen below) |
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 Nicola Pisano, The Annunciation and the Nativity, detail of Pisa baptistery pulpit, Pisa, Italy, 1259-1260. Marble relief, approx. 2' 10" x 3' 9" Nicola Pisano (the father) Classical style. Relief showing a continuous narrative of the Annunciation, the Nativity, and the Adoration of the Sheppard's. The posture and drapery are strikingly similar to those found on Etruscan and Roma sarcophagi. The faces, hair, beards as well as the bulk and weight of the figures reveal influence of classical sculpture. |
 Giovanni Pisano, The Annunciation and the Nativity, detail of the pulpit of Sant'Andrea, Pistoia, Italy, 1297-1301. Marble relief, approx. 2' 10" x 3' 4" Giovanni Pisano (the son) French Gothic style Relief showing a continuous narrative of the Annunciation, the Nativity, and the Adoration of the Sheppard's. The son's version is a striking contrast to his fathers. Slender figure arranged loosely and dynamically, twisting and bending, showing emotion. |
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Cimabue,
Madonna Enthroned with Angels and Prophets, ca. 1280-1290.
Tempera on wood, 12' 7" x 7' 4". Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence Breaking away from Byzantine style. Even though he used gold embellishments in the folds of the dress, as is common in Byzantine art, they are not decorative patterns but used to enhance the three dimensional folds in the dress. Mary's throne is an object that recedes in space, the overlapping angels and the prophets peeking out from below reinforce the sense of space. Even though he started to use linear perspective, he's not completely successful still having a foot in the past. |
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Giotto di Bondone,
Madonna Enthroned, ca. 1310.
Tempera on wood, 10' 8" x 6' 8". Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence. Done 20 years after his teacher Cimabue's Madonna Enthroned, Giotto revived naturalism of Classical art. His figures have substance, making the figure appear to take up space. Folds in cloth are more realistic, body is more realistic. It has Gothic architectural elements. He felt it more important to show one person in front of the other, it even has halos blocking peoples faces. |
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Giotto di Bondone,
Lamentation, Arena Chapel, Padua, Italy, ca. 1305.
Fresco, 6'6¾" x 6'¾" It appears as if the figures are on a narrow stage, mystery plays were very popular at this time. Showing depth by placing figures in front of each other, faces hidden and showing the backs of people. Showing emotion in the saints and angels. Using strong foreshortening with the angels in the sky. |
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Duccio di Buoninsegna,
Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saints, principal panel of the Maestà altarpiece, from the Siena Cathedral, Siena, Italy, 1308-1311.
Tempera on wood, panel 7' x 13'. Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Siena The figures are more lifelike, Duccio relaxed the strict frontality and rigidity of figures, humanizing the figures by giving them varying expressions. Softening the Byzantine hard body outlines and drapery patterns, yet retaining the Byzantine gold leaf background and flattened halos. |
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Duccio di Buoninsegna,
Betrayal of Jesus, detail from the back of the Maestà altarpiece, from the Siena Cathedral, Siena, Italy, 1309-1311.
Tempera on wood, detail approx. 1' 10½" x 3' 4". Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Siena. Showing a continues narrative of Judas' Kiss, Peter cutting of an ear, and the Fleeing of the Apostles. Showing depth by placing figures in front of each other, hiding the faces of soldiers. |
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Simone Martini,
Annunciation, 1333.
Tempera and gold leaf on wood, approx. 10' 1" x 8' 8
¾". Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence. Byzantine - background. Gothic - pointed arches and frame. International Style - details, observing nature, seeing the words that are spoken. |
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Pietro Lorenzetti,
The Birth of the Virgin, from Altar of Saint Savinus, Siena Cathedral, Siena, Italy, 1342.
Tempera on wood, approx. 6' 1" x 5' 11". Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Siena. Early example of an artist using liner perspective. Painted architectural elements, columns and wall, as though they extend back into the painted space. |
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Ambrogio Lorenzetti,
Peaceful City, detail from the
fresco Effects of Good Government in the City and in the Country, Sala della Pace, Palazzo Pubblico, Siena, Italy, 1338-1339 Depicts the urban and rural effects of good government. Among the first landscapes dince ancient times. |
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Ambrogio Lorenzetti,
Peaceful Country, detail from the
fresco Effects of Good Government in the City and in the Country, Sala della Pace, Palazzo Pubblico, Siena, Italy, 1338-1339 Depicts the urban and rural effects of good government. Among the first landscapes since ancient times. |
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Arnolfo di Cambio and others, Florence Cathedral (view from the south), Florence, Italy, begun 1296. The Florence campanile (bell tower), designed by Giotto, stands apart from the cathedral in the Italian tradition. It is subdivided into cubic sections. The spacious nave of Florence Cathedral is divided into bays separated from the shallow aisles by wide arcades. The Cathedral's façade was not completed until the 19th century. |
 
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