This week we begin our discussion of the Early Renaissance period, which raises a key question: to what extent does the Renaissance constitute a break from the past and to what extent does it continue the interests, themes, and functions of art established in antiquity and the Middle Ages? Giotto's frescoes for the Arena Chapel in Padua (c. 1305) are an excellent case study for this question. Look closely at this scene representing the Lamentation of the Dead Christ by the Virgin Mary and his other followers. Do any aspects of the scene (its structure, emotion, etc.) remind you of other works we have discussed already in class? What figures in particular stand out to you for their poses and expressive qualities?
The structure of this scene reminds me of "Gemma Augustea" in that everyone is focused on one character. Before, the focus of the sculpture was on Augustus; now it is on Christ. The parallels are easy to see, as both were viewed as divine figures in their time periods. In my opinion, the emotion on these faces is better expressed than any other painting or sculpture that we have seen before. There is a broad spectrum of sadness displayed in this painting, ranging from the Virgin Mary's grief to the men's more stoic expressions. Christ, too, displays a convincing deathbed expression on his face. It is a far cry from the expressions of the dying warriors that we saw from the Greeks during around 500 BCE.
ReplyDeletenice comparison to the Gemma Augustea in the parallel organization of the composition to focus attention on a single character -- though very true that the emotion is much heightened here
DeleteI can't say that this painting reminds me of a piece we've studied in class. The emotion is of sadness but most of the works we discussed in class that evoked that emotion were like the Dying Trumpeter or Laocoön. These showed more pride and pain respectively. Here we see more tragedy and sorrow. However I did make a note of how the different figures and lines in the painting draw you to Christ. It is something like the Friezes in the way that they guide you through a story but in this case they figures guide you to the "main event". This is heightened by the use of space. The figures in the front are clearly closer to the viewer than the angels that are further in space but they're all pointed towards Christ whether it be with their entire bodies or their heads alone. The mountain ridge (or wall/ledge?) is also pointed towards Christ and then going off in space as we can tell by the proportions of the tree.
ReplyDeletevery nice observation about how geometrical organization and diagonal lines really help to concentrate our focus on this scene and lead the eye to Christ.
DeleteThe subject of this fresco reminds me of the Virgin of Essen. However, in my opinion, the only similarity between these two artworks is that they both depict the Virgin and Child. However, apparently, the ways of portraying these two central characters in Christianity are totally different in these two works. Although similarities do exist between this fresco and the previous artworks, the differences and innovations in Renaissance Period is more obviously embodied in this fresco. Firstly, this is almost out first time to see there is actually interaction between the figures. As audience, we can feel the sense of sorrow through the depiction of the figures' facial expressions. Additionally, all the figures in this fresco are in profile. The frontality and stiffness of the figures in previous time periods are gradually disappearing. We can also see an early development of perspective in this fresco. The figures are overlapping, which brings a sense of depth to the audience. The wall behind the figures is descending to the head of Christ, which is also the vanishing point of the perspective and focal point of the fresco as a whole. Giotto also painted the angels with new techniques that we had never previously seen. The colors of the angels' feet are mostly intergraded with the color of the sky. This achieves a vivid sense of movement.
ReplyDeleteabsolutely - the various of the figures' positions and facial expressions helps to create the sense of real emotional reaction, and the convincing overlapping of figures as if receding in space is something we began to see in the relief frieze from the Arch of Titus, but is also emphasized here
DeleteWhen looking at this piece by Giotto, I immediately see the downward sloping angle created by the rock, and how that slope leads directly into the depiction of Mary holding Christ in her arms. It seems as if Christ is in the exact opposite position of the rock creating some type of balance in the piece through those sloping angles. I also see the halos that are around many of the figures as well as the small angles depicted in the sky above. The attention of this piece is definitely on Christ as almost all of the figures depicted are looking at his dead in Mary's arms. This depiction of Mary holding Christ reminds me of the various pieces or pietas we saw which depicted Mary seated on the Thrown of Wisdom, holding Christ in hew hands. I also noticed the connection that is shown in this piece between Christ and Mary, which is much unlike what we have seen in past depictions of Mary holding Christ. I don't recall looking at a piece in which Mary is holding Christ so close to her that is almost looks like she is going to kiss him and bring him back to life. Christ is also depicted as a full size grown man, which is unlike in the past when he was depicted with a grown face in a child's body.
ReplyDeleteGreat connection back to the representations of the Throne of Wisdom -- in fact, the way that Mary cradles Christ's dead body is meant to remind the viewer of the moment when she cradled him as an infant.
DeleteThe emotion in this piece reminded me of Epigonos of Pergamon's "Dying Trumpeter." The expressions here, like that of the Trumpeter, are realistic depictions of suffering (albeit different types of suffering) and evoke empathetic responses from viewers. The structure of this scene kind of reminds me of the Cameo of Augustus because the figure of Christ is central and the focus of everyone's attention, including the (divine) cherubs.
ReplyDeleteThe figures that stick out to me are the Virgin Mary and the disciple spreading his arms. They stick out to me because their expressions of grief are so different from one another, yet both are realistic depictions. Mary's grief seems to be taking a more internally oriented and emotionally crushing form, while the disciple's grief is more explosive and externally oriented. The figure of Christ is also sticks out because of his lack of expression. This is definitely realistic, as he is dead in this painting, but it is kind of surprising because he and his death are being depicted so humanly. He has the halo to represent his divinity, but his death marks him as human.
Nice point about the ways in which Giotto variously emphasizes internal vs. external grief, and you are quite right that this is a deeply human moment in Christ's narrative
DeleteThis piece reminds me of "Dying Trumpeter", which also depicts a scene of dying and sorrow. And it is very interesting that in "Dying Trumpeter", the soldier has masculine muscles but in this piece the painter used soft lines and color to portray Christ. And both artists represent an contrast between body and mind: "Dying Trumpeter" shows a contrast between the wounded and dying body and the mind to continue fighting; this fresco compares Christ's human and divine aspects: he has halo behind his head, but he is still dying just like a human. And the faces of angels remind me of some pieces before in which the faces of babies are also depicted like miniature of adults' faces. The follower in the middle of the scene stands out and attracts my attention immediately because of his exaggerated posture like a bird spreading out its wings. The painter subtly combined posture and facial expressions to indicate his shocked and desperate feelings.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, the figure with spread arms is one of the most striking and helps direct the eye to Christ's body
DeleteGiotto's Lamentation of Christ is different from the artwork of the Middle Ages because the concern of the artist has changed dramatically. Giotto is interested in portraying the figures in his painting as naturalistic (shown by their individualized facial features, expressions, and physical positions). Although this is only the beginning of a concern for perspective in Renaissance painting, Giotto attempts to show depth in his painting by layering figures and he attempts to give real weight to his figures with his attention to drapery. Giotto is a good in-between figure to study as we transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance because he retains an iconographic interest in depicting the characters in his painting. Christ's body occupies the central space in the painting and the juxtaposition of his long horizontal body with the vertical figures surrounding him gives him prominence in the scene. The Virgin Mary is easy to spot because of her blue robes and halos around Christ and other figures illustrate their divinity for us. This fresco reminds me of other depictions we have studied of the Virgin and Child on the Throne of Wisdom such as the wooden state circa 1150-2000. In that piece, the figures lack emotion, fail to interact with one another, and Christ is displayed very un-realistically as a mini-adult rather than as an actual baby. In Giotto's work, the interaction between the Virgin and Christ is more obvious because the Virgin holds Christ in her lap and stares into his eyes. However, Giotto has not yet metered the technique of painting drapery or of illustrating the full weight of his figures. Because of this, Christ's body fails both to seem dead-like an emaciated (as one would expect) and also fails to respond to Mary's body beneath him (he looks like he is lying across a board when he is supposed to be draped across the Virgin's knees).
ReplyDeleteNice analysis overall!
DeleteGiotto's piece is indicative of the growing importance of Christianity during this time. In terms of the subject of the painting, this piece reminds me of the Virgin of Essen the most, as both portray Mary holding Jesus. However, Giotto's painting is less rigid than the Virgin of Essen, and, though there may be claims that the eyes in the Virgin of Essen depict some sort of facial expression, there was relatively little emotion compared to Giotto's work. Giotto is incorporating naturalism and individualized features in the faces of the individuals in the painting, which is reminiscent of classical works, such as Laocoon and Sons and the Dying Trumpeter. However, the bodies in Giotto's work are not as idealized, showing more rounded shapes and less of the musculature of the body.
ReplyDeleteGood links back to classical sculpture, but you are also right that Giotto treats figures as forms shape by their robes more than concerning himself with underlying musculature
DeleteThis piece really reminds me of "Gemma Augustea." The obvious first similarity is that both works portray two different scenes occurring in one image- the scene above of gods or angels, and the scene below of commonfolk, or Christ and his followers. The bottom register of Gemma Augustea shows commonfolk sacrificing their lives and dying for the heavenly Gods above them (including their emperor Augustus). Whereas this work of art shows the Christian leader as the one dying and sacrificing for the rest of his people. It's interesting to contrast the religious/societal views of the Romans, who viewed their rulers as Godly, versus Christian views that portray Christ as similar to the commonfolk in some ways. It's almost to say that Giotto was representing the superiority of Christ on earth instead of in the heavens with the angels.
ReplyDelete- Talia Laifer
DeleteVery good point about the two horizontal registers of the scene, representing heaven (where Christ will eventually ascend after his Resurrection) and the earthly realm that Christms body currently inhabits
DeleteGiotto's Lamentation of Christ carries on the tradition of golden halos behind figures in Byzantine mosaics. Giotto's piece is exceptional in that it truly conveys the agony that the angels and mourners are feeling around Jesus. They react individually to Jesus's death and are not stiff figures like Byzantine Mosaics. The facial features convey their pain as well as their hand gestures; one male figures has his hands stretched out and another gripping Jesus's precious feet. The angels add to the sad mood; they are swirling and it is as if we can hear them crying out. Though Mary is in a similar attire as the Virgin of Essen, Mary is clutching Jesus differently in that she has mother's warmth in Giotto's piece. The Virgin of Essen is stiffly upright and hardly supports baby Jesus. Giotto's fresco's background conveys a more naturalistic and organic scene that other works we have studied. The tree depicts life but it is bare. The sky is blue and they are surrounded by rocks. This more naturalistic approach seems to depict a moment in time and not an eternal scene.
ReplyDeleteThe last point about how this scene represents a specific moment in time rather than an eternal iconic image (like the Virgin of Essen) is very important!
DeleteOne of the first things I notice about Giotto's piece is the way it portrays emotion and pain. Many of the pieces we looked at previously this semester idealized not only the people themselves, but also their emotions and positions. It does remind me of a sculpture we looked at earlier of a dying man who was hit by an arrow. This painting definitely presents death in a more realistic manner, replete with pain and anguish.
ReplyDeleteYes, the Dying Gaul evinced a similar interest in emotional expression, but the complexity of the multi-figure composition here is on a different level
DeleteI'm really intrigued by the portrayal of emotion in this piece; it's very naturalistic and truly describes what is felt by the people in the scene. Some of the work we looked at earlier portrayed emotion really successfully but I feel like this piece takes it a step further. The use of directionality in this piece is also remarkable. Compared to the works we have looked at earlier, this piece seems to have advanced impressively.
ReplyDeleteYes, this relates well to several points already made above
DeleteI think it's quite interesting how Giotto leads us to pay more attention to the main character. The rock in the background forms an arrow, pointing towards Jesus's head, which is the emotional focal point of the whole painting. And the directions the other figure's are looking in all points to Jesus's. The flowing of emotion is conveyed in this way. Also, the rock functions as a diagonal line, which makes the whole composition more dynamic and organized.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, if you were to write a visual analysis of Giotto's scene, the role of diagonals and geometry would be especially significant to describe
DeleteThe pose Giotto uses here, Jesus in Virgin Mary's lap, reminds me a lot of the Virgin of Essen. However, the emotion in this work seems a lot different. In the Virgin of Essen, Mary cradles her baby, but the viewer gets a sense of stiffness rather than motherly compassion. In Lamentation of Christ, Mary again hugs her child, but this time with much more passion and concern for Jesus. Her motherly nature is definitely more emphasized in this painting.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely -- the iconic quality of the Virgin of Essen breaks down into motherly grief in Giotto's fresco
DeleteIf we look closely at the Lamentation of the Dead Christ by the Virgin Mary and his other followers, we can notice a few repeated patterns from other pieces we've studied. The main one I notice right away is the strong division between the heavens and the earthly, shown through the wall that cleanly divides the composition. The concentration of angels in just the sky is another indicator of this, versus later pieces in the Renaissance that have angels walking amongst the humans. This string division of the divine and earthly realm is something we've seen in many other pieces we've studied: the Roman cameo with Augustus as a god in the first register and then his soldiers and conquered subjects in the second, the Gothic cathedral in France where the laypeople are only allowed in the nave and cross area, while the priesthood stays in the choir, etc. Another key point is that Jesus is in the human realm, indicating to a Christian viewer that his resurrection and ascension to god-status will come shortly in three days, but that for now he is indeed truly human. The characters themselves have pretty dynamic poses, but are rendered so flat that they appear very static, despite the gestural limbs. The flatness is something we've seen in the cave drawings, the Egyptian reliefs on tablets, and even the portraiture by the Byzantines.
ReplyDeleteInteresting point that even though Giotto's figures gesture and making expressions suggesting movement and emotion, their bodies remain quite solid and static
DeleteThe different poses of the people surrounding Christ help bring out the drama and emotion in the painting. Most of the angels and humans all have slightly different poses, and this helps create a realistic snapshot of the moment in which Christ’s followers lamented his death. The people all express similar emotions while adopting different poses, which helps create a more dramatic and realistic scene. For example, one man stands with his arms outstretched, another holds Christ’s feet, and Mary holds Christ in her arms. The emotions in this painting are similar to those of the sculpture of the Dying Trumpeter, as both works express defeat and helplessness.
ReplyDeleteYes, the role of *variety* in the figures' expressions will actually become an important tenet of Renaissance art theory in works that are striving for a compelling narrative impact!
DeleteGiotto's Lamentation of Christ reminds me of Virgin of Essen primarily due to its composition of Virgin Mary cradling Jesus Christ. Overall, the atmosphere of the painting is that of terror. With Christ being the center of attention, people and angels, with their gloomy facial expressions, pose in dynamic gestures. What strikes me about this painting especially is the way angels are expressing their sadness. Perhaps the idea that these divine creatures are as terrified as people on Earth is what strikes me as appalling. It is also interesting to note how Christ is drawing the attention of both heaven and earth. It strongly emphasizes the existence of heaven and also points to the fact that Christ is a figure belonging to both of the realms.
ReplyDeleteGood point about the angels! Their grief is remarkably depicted and hasn't come up as much in the preceding comments.
DeleteIn other paintings, Virgin Mary did not openly mourn the son's death. She accepted his fate, as she knew it from the beginning. But, in this painting she is openly sad. She clasps his still body onto hers, and gently strokes his face. Her face holds a look of anger, sadness and disbelief with the eyes half closed and tightly shut mouth. This painting actually reminded me of Michelangelo's "Pieta," but this painting is much more stylized: the body proportions are not realistic. The bodies are portrayed very lengthy, and flexible. The people appear to have no angular structures. What was interesting in this picture was that all the people's faces were directed towards Jesus, which allowed us to focus on him. The landscape is not given a lot of attention because the importance lies in the humanistic aspects of the picture.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, it is the same subject of Michelangelo's Pieta! The difference is that the sculpture doesn't depict all the ancillary mourning figures, but focuses only on the relation of the Virgin and Christ
DeleteMingxi Li:
ReplyDeleteComparing to pieces from the Middle Ages, Giotto's Lamentation from the early Renaissance clearly shows a stronger connection to humanity. The painting shows motion, vibrant color, expressive emotions, and extremely rich body gestures, all of which could not be found in the stiff and materialistic medieval art pieces such as the Virgin of Essen. The painting shows the mourning of Jesus after crucifixion. To begin with, the slope in the background shows a sense of depth and creates a triangular structure that immediately leads the audience's attention to the halo of Jesus. While the Virgin of Essen, just like many other Medieval art pieces, uses gold to show the majesty of religious figures, Giotto uses his colorful and vibrant brushstrokes to show a sense of humanity.Instead of showing the holiness of Jesus and his followers in a majestic frontal view, Giotto depicts human movements that take the religious figures off of their pedestal. Angels in the painting seem to be swerving in sorrow and agony. Their wide open arms stretch out as far as possible to express their extremely strong feelings. Although everyone shares the same sorrow over Jesus' death, each individual seems to react differently. Some weep quietly, some cry out loud, some question, and some gaze tearlessly. Giotto shortens the distance between religious story and reality through representation of mundane emotions. An illiterate person may not know the storyline, but emotions echo with all human beings. In fact, Giotto's painting reminds me more of the sculpture of Laocoon, the sinful man who twists in agony at the last moment of his punished life. Medieval art distances god and human beings, but Giotto's piece from the early Renaissance seems to call back the attention to human bodies and emotions all the way from ancient Greek and Roman art.
The idea that Giotto takes "religious figures off their pedestals" is absolutely right. Unlike the iconic Virgin of Essen, Giotto is concerned with the human narrative of Christian history
ReplyDeleteThis work reminds me of three different works we’ve seen before in class.
ReplyDeleteGiotto’s Lamentation of Christ is similar to The Virgin of Essen in terms of subject matter (we see the depiction of Mary holding Jesus in both the virgin of Essen and the lamentation of Christ, Mary holding Jesus) and it is also similar in terms of style (the rendition of the figures in both pieces have the same stilted, posed quality). Compositionally, it is similar to Gemma Augustea (it is divided into two scenes—one on the top and one on the bottom). Lastly, it is similar to Procession of the spoils from the temple of Jerusalem—amongst other friezes we’ve looked at—in terms of content (both depict narrative scenes).