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.

Baptistery Mosaics in Florence

Mosaic on the vault - 1240-1300 - Mosaic - Baptistry, Florence (click photo for larger image)Mosaic on the vault (detail, Vault, Southeast section) - 1240-1300 - Mosaic - Baptistry, Florence (click photo for larger image)Florence’s octagonal baptistery is one of the most important creations of the so-called Tuscan proto-Renaissance, which is typified by marble exterior sheathing, a rich wall arrangement, and sculptural architectural decor based on structures from antiquity. The decoration of the baptistery's interior includes an extensive mosaic decor, undertaken in around 1240-50. The mosaics are arranged in six horizontal registers, the top two filled with ornamental motifs and single figures, the lower ones featuring complete scenes. Aside from the Last Judgment, the pictorial program consists of scenes from the life of St John the Baptist. Roughly sixty to seventy years were required to complete the vaulting mosaics. This long period explains the stylistic differences that can easily be seen in the mosaics, some of them significant. The representations offer insight into the popular style then current in Florence, a mixture of the local late Romanesque and an imported Byzantine revival. We don’t know precisely when the planning and execution of the mosaics were begun and when the work was completed. As for the artists working on the project, almost all the painters who were active in Florence in the period in question have been somewhat associated with the baptistery mosaics. The detail featured here presents, from the top to the bottom: principalities; the Creation (Lamech killing Cain, God appearing to Noah, building of the Ark); the story of Joseph (Pharaoh's dream, Joseph interpreting the dream, Joseph named viceroy of Egypt); the life of Christ (massacre of the Innocents, Last Supper, arrest; the story of John (John sends his followers to Jesus, who witness his miracles, Herod's feast).

Simone Martini: A Sienese Master

Simone Martini - St. Martin is Knighted (scene 3 in a series of frescoes) 1312-17 - Fresco, 265 x 200 cm - Cappella di San Martino, Lower Church, San Francesco, Assisi (click photo for larger image)Simone Martini (c. 1280-1344) was a Sienese painter, who was the pupil of the great master, Duccio. Simoe developed the use of outline for the sake of linear rhythm, and also used sophisticated color harmonies that were implicit in Duccio. Simone was also heavily influenced by the sculpture of Giovanni Pisano, and even more by French Gothic art. The stories of the life of St Martin that Simone could have used as sources for a series of frescoes devoted to the saint contain references to his military promotions. We can therefore suppose that our painter was surrounded by a world of tournaments and hunting expeditions. The artist used the scene of Martin's investiture to focus attention on courtly and aristocratic customs.

The Master of Saint Francis

The Master of Saint Francis - Saints Bartholomew and Simon - 1266–75 - Tempera and gold on wood - 18 3/4 x 9 in. (47.6 x 22.9 cm) - Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

“Active in the third quarter of the thirteenth century, the Master of Saint Francis derives his name from a painting of Saint Francis from the Porziuncula Chapel now in Santa Maria degli Angeli at Assisi. He was also responsible for a cycle of frescoes in the nave of the Lower Church of San Francesco at Assisi.”

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The cycle of frescoes in Assisi at one time were attributed to the great proto-Renaissance master, Giotto. The term “master” is used when the name of an artist is unknown, but when a body of work exists that stylistically belong to the same artist.

Altichiero da Zevio - A Late Gothic Master

Altichiero da Zevio - Death of St Lucy - 1379-84 - Fresco, 237 x 290 cm - Oratorio di San Giorgio, Padua (click photo for larger image)The Italian painter, Altichiero da Zevio (ca. 1330 - ca. 1390) is regarded as one of the founders of the Veronese school of painting. Most of his surviving works are in Padua, Italy--where he learned much from the works of the great proto-Renaissance painter, Giotto. However, he did retain a lot of the pageantry of the late 14th century Gothic style--and his contributions to that style are outstanding. The art of the Middle Ages (which includes the late Gothic) is often overlooked. This thousand-year-long tradition is not only magnificent in its own right. It also had a profound influence on many modern artists. The painting featured here is rich in architectural forms and drama. The subject matter is St Lucy, whose name means “light”. She is the patron saint of the blind.