Like a comic without words, these frescoes tell the story of Christ and his parents—and give their patron a cameo.
Giotto
Only decades apart—but what a difference. Next to Giotto’s substantial Virgin, Cimabue’s appears flat yet elegant.
Cimabue and Giotto compared
Christ sits as Judge, separating the blessed from the damned. In Hell, money lenders—like Scrovegni—appear hanged.
Giotto, Arena (Scrovegni) Chapel (part 4 of ...
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 3 of ...
With their emotion, gestures, mass, and volume, Giotto’s people seem real—and time moves with them.
Giotto, Arena (Scrovegni) Chapel (part 2 of ...
Painting covers every inch of this chapel, from the spiraling narrative cycle to the star-studded blue sky.
Giotto, Arena (Scrovegni) Chapel (part 1 of ...
Hooked thumbs, pressing elbows, open mouths—these details lend intimacy and reality to an otherwise formal scene.
Giotto, The Entombment of Mary
This is a Mary like we’ve never seen before—she’s more monumental and sits in a space that makes sense.
Giotto, The Ognissanti Madonna and Child Enthroned
Is that fear in his eyes? Saint Francis betrays human emotions as Giotto unites the earthly and heavenly realms.