Giotto

"It is said that when Giotto was only a boy with Cimabue, he once painted a fly on the nose of a face that Cimabue had drawn, so naturally that the master returning to his work tried more than once to drive it away with his hand, thinking it was real. And I might tell you of many other jests played by Giotto, but of this enough." — Vasari, Lives of the Artists (1550)

c. 1267 – 1337

videos + essays

Giotto, <em>The Ognissanti Madonna and Child Enthroned</em>
Giotto, The Ognissanti Madonna and Child Enthroned

This is a Mary like we’ve never seen before—she’s more monumental and sits in a space that makes sense.

The Arena Chapel (and Giotto’s frescos) in virtual reality
The Arena Chapel (and Giotto’s frescos) in virtual reality

Take a tour of the Arena Chapel in virtual reality—it's almost as good as being there in person!

Giotto, Arena (Scrovegni) Chapel
Giotto, Arena (Scrovegni) Chapel

Like a comic without words, these frescoes tell the story of Christ and his parents—and give their patron a cameo.

Cimabue and Giotto compared
Cimabue and Giotto compared

Only decades apart—but what a difference. Next to Giotto’s substantial Virgin, Cimabue’s appears flat yet elegant.

Giotto, Arena (Scrovegni) Chapel (part 4 of 4)
Giotto, Arena (Scrovegni) Chapel (part 4 of 4)

Christ sits as Judge, separating the blessed from the damned. In Hell, money lenders—like Scrovegni—appear hanged.

Giotto, Arena (Scrovegni) Chapel (part 3 of 4)
Giotto, Arena (Scrovegni) Chapel (part 3 of 4)

In this powerful scene, Mary cradles the dead Christ. A simple landscape and mourning crowd direct us to her grief.

Giotto, Arena (Scrovegni) Chapel (part 2 of 4)
Giotto, Arena (Scrovegni) Chapel (part 2 of 4)

With their emotion, gestures, mass, and volume, Giotto’s people seem real—and time moves with them.

Giotto, Arena (Scrovegni) Chapel (part 1 of 4)
Giotto, Arena (Scrovegni) Chapel (part 1 of 4)

Painting covers every inch of this chapel, from the spiraling narrative cycle to the star-studded blue sky.

Giotto, <em>The Entombment of Mary</em>
Giotto, The Entombment of Mary

Hooked thumbs, pressing elbows, open mouths—these details lend intimacy and reality to an otherwise formal scene.

Giotto, <em>Saint Francis of Assisi Receiving the Stigmata</em>
Giotto, Saint Francis of Assisi Receiving the Stigmata

Is that fear in his eyes? Saint Francis betrays human emotions as Giotto unites the earthly and heavenly realms.