Simone Martini: Harmonious Pure Colors

Simone Martini - Blessed Agostino Novello Altarpiece - 1324 - Tempera on wood - Pinacoteca Nazionale, Siena (click photo for larger image)Simone Martini (c. 1284 – 1344) was a Sienese painter, probably the pupil of Duccio, who developed the use of outline for the sake of linear rhythm as well as the sophisticated color harmonies implicit in Duccio. He was also deeply influenced by the sculpture of Giovanni Pisano, and even more by French Gothic art. The scenes  of this altarpiece are organized according to the composition of ex-votos, each one being divided into two sections: the accident and the miracle, followed by a thanksgiving prayer. The architectural settings of the scenes depict an overall view of Siena (in the Child Attacked by a Wolf), a view of the narrow streets of the city (in the Child Falling from a Balcony) and even an interior scene (in the Child Falling out of his Cradle, also known as the Paganelli Miracle); and in fact one could say that the city of Siena is indeed the co-protagonist of this painting. The buildings of the city centre are counterbalanced by the rural landscape in the scene of the Knight Falling down a Ravine, probably a depiction of the countryside immediately outside Siena, with the towers of faraway castles standing out amidst the bare hills.