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History of Art

Introduction

Christian art was a result of emergence from Roman art, which was adapted in such a way as to express religious beliefs and thoughts. The Italian art emerged from ancient art, mixed with Gothic and Byzantine influences. The Roman art was the constant source of inspiration throughout the next 14 centuries in the Italian history of visual arts. The emergence of Italian art is a blend of uniqueness, Byzantine and Gothic art. (Lopez, Robert Sabatino 1970)

Discussion

Painting and Sculpture in Thirteenth Century Italy.

13th Century (Italian Duecento)

In the mid-13th century, the transformation of Italian is of a considerable significance with the contribution of Dante and later of Petrarch and Boccaccio. Representation of a fusion of Gothic and old is the sculpture of Nicola Pisano and his son Giovanni. Nicola was more competent in making Roman models, while Giovanni was more interested towards human figures of gothic types. His personality represents his emerging carrier as an artist, which was accompanied with the new attitudes of patrons and artists, an increase in his status. ( Burckhardt, Jacob 1878)

Pisa: AD 1259

The central authorities in Pisa conducted a commission for their baptistery in the 13th century AD. The sculptor Nicola was called as Pisano since he gained residence in Pisa after leaving southern Italy.

His inspiration comes from many ancient sarcophagi around him. His Virgin Mary is a powerfully sculpted figure in scenes like the Nativity or the Adoration of the Magi. But, it looks like a Roman matron to everyone who sees it.

Nicola's success in Pisa is followed with another sculptor in a style similar to the Siena Cathedral, which was completed in 1268 and his sons, Giovanni Pisano, later defined a glorious platform of the Cathedral of Pisa, and is also a big competitor with his father in baptistery .

The Scrovegni Chapel: AD 1300-1310

Enrico Scrovegni was the son of a wealthy banker who bought an abandoned piece of land in an arena in Padua, in ancient Rome. He built a chapel and a house for himself on this land. Now known as the Scrovegni Chapel or Chapel of the Arena, this chapel is a landmark in Italian art history and points to the emergence of the Renaissance era. Many examples of good could be found in the Scrovegni Chapel, especially the mother of the Virgin by gently pushing the girl on the steps for presentation in the temple.

Duccio and the Maestà of Siena: 1308-1311 AD

The great altarpiece now known as Maestà ("Crown") is another masterpiece created in Siena, which is of Christian narrative and was built in the same decade as the Giotto chapel in Padua, i.e., in 1308. With panels depicting the tradition of the altarpiece, it dates centuries back to the sumptuous mixture of gold and jewelry and enameled scenes which were favored by the byzantine rulers for the decorum of their churches. Simple scenes are depicted in these cases but, Duccio, like Giotto in Padua, likes to narrate detailed scenes from the Christian ...