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Brief biography

Giotto Di Bondone was a reknowned italian architect and painter who lived between July 1266 and january 1337.¹ In his most popular name, it is worth to refer to him as one of the most prolific artists who were utterly important in the renaisance of Italy.

Giotto came up with contemporary pieces of paintings in his time. He was highly reputed due to the drawing of figure postures which were inseparable with the realities of nature.

Historical research records indicate that Giotto was born at Romimignano which was a very sympolic farmhouse on top of a hill. This explains the honour attached to his birthplace.

Indeed, the commercial publications which assert this special feature of Giotto (the artist) would lose value without this phenomenal inclusion.

The artistic life of Giotto was not merely full of these unique characteristics. His father Bondone was a well known personality. He had achieved an admirable status of a life which had a good stand in society.

Despite the fact that the society of that time kept keen records of all individuals, Giotto was able to come up with an amicable stability.

The fact that he was a son to a blacksmith happened to be a valuable outfit which positioned him to grow into an intelligent and adorable artist. Giotto was alo known to be a highly gifted painter during his tender years.

He would draw very magnificent pictures of sheep and other animals.² This was a clear indication of how much he was endowed with an inherent talent.

Artists argue that an artistic brain cannot be concealed by the circumstances of a person’s life. Art is comparable to some form of fire which burns out of the heart of its beholder.

Giotto was taken to art workshops where he was able to appreciate his skill right from the level of an apprentice.

What makes his paintings different from byzantine style artist

The artistic works of Goitto have a profound feture of excellence. It is possible to compare and contrast his productions with the works of most byzantine artists.³

On top of the fact that Giotto painted with a great influence of the happenings of nature, it is evident that his skill was differentiated from that of the byzantine styles.

Giotto was well established in the technique of making accurate and precise paintings from the occurences of real life.⁴

His technique was a revival of an historical technique of making drawings by the use of deductions from the natural existence of life. Giotto had a style of making paintings which were in line with the happening during his time.

He built his creativity on his way of life and therefore came up with paintings which showed the major happenings which sirrounded the society.

A good example is the Frescoes he made for the upper church. The artistic commisions of his work here were a represntation of the documents that the Basilica church was up for divisions.

He was describing the activities of the church. He showed the overshadowed happenings which were part of the congregation.⁵

This timely style of taking opportunities as an artist are not found in the byzantine style of art. Most byzantine art works are concrete in accordance to the creativity of individual artists.⁶

In the midst of the influence which came up with Byzantine, many artists did art on the basis of the setup of the society. This was as a result of their openness to the influence.

Giotta’s pictures are distinguished from these by the possession of a theme of diversity. The paintings have a way of showing the intends of the artist without borrowing from any external features.

The byzantine styles show aspects of depicting the importance of art in communication.

Describe the epiphany by example using the visual analysis technique

The Epiphany gives a dependable foundation for anyone who is ready to analyze art. This work by Goitta is part of his series on the series of the life of Christ. It is one of the altar covers which were established for the church at Santa Croce.

Goitto produced a classic representation of his story by using this form of drawing. The object has been formed through the use of a uniform stroke of brushes. The painting of this object was carried on using a specific choice of procedures.

This is shown by the fact that the elements of the final work are clearly shown. It is possible to transit from one part of the painting to the other since individual elements of the diagram.

This diagram can be gauged as large painting. Although it has been produced in a relatively small size it is should be noted that this is a small picture. On a general viewpoint, the painting is quite eye catching and symbolic of classical art.

On the other hand, the Madonna and child image presents a commanding representation of beauty and elegance. There in Goitto manages to communicate the theme of the baby as a savior according to biblical accounts.

Space has been created and utilized accordingly. The figure comes out clearly in contrast to the space around it. This image has a model stature which brings out the expressions of Goitta.

Explanation of the story being told in Giotto’s painting

It is important to note that Epiphany is one of the highest quality paintings found in Metropolitan museum in New York.⁷ Notably, the work of art in its fullness of form is very informative and therefore it presents a religious theme.

In order to understand the story being told in the painting, it is essential to explain briefly what the painting entails. From a careful observation of the painting, one can analyze that on the lower edge of the panel, the king kneels at the center of the altar to worship the new born child. ⁸

Therefore, this painting explains about the time when Jesus Christ was born and the wise men came to worship him with gifts.

Moreover, the painting further expound on the fact that the wise men came with numerous gifts made of Gold, Frankincense and myrrh.⁹

Nevertheless, from the story, numerous sources give different explanation and meaning of the gifts. For instance, according to the holy Bible especially in the New Testament, different scriptures give dissimilar-r theological significance of the gifts.

In this case, the gift of Frankincense, according to Hebrews 4:14 symbolizes a great and a high priest.¹⁰ Moreover, according to the same scripture, myrrh signifies a paschal lamb of sacrifice for the sins of people in the world.

However, other scriptures such as John, Luke, Mark and Mathew only mention the gifts but do not explain their significance. ¹¹

Additionally, the magi have their own understanding of the gifts and other symbols portrayed in the painting. From a careful review of literature, one can argue that the magi have a hymn that portrays the theological significance of the gifts and the value attached to their Lord.

According to the Magi, the gifts of gold signify that Jesus Christ is the new king. Moreover, they also perceive the Frankincense and myrrh to signify that Jesus is not only the king but also the God and a sacrifice for the sins of the world.

In line with this, it is notable that the painting contains numerous characters making it more expansive and informative. Needless to say, the background of the painting can be divided into four major planes in order to analyze the characters with ease.

The first plane is that at the top of the painting where we see four angles who seems engaged in their own activities. Moreover, on the left corner of the painting, there are wise men standing by the side warmly dressed.

At the center we see a king kneeling to worship the newly born Baby. Additionally, we see Virgin Mary and her Husband Joseph standing by the side with their child at the center.

Note that all the characters portrayed in the picture helps the audience to obtain sharper details of what the picture is all about.¹²

Needless to say, the arrangement of the characters in the picture is a bit concise giving it an expansive look. However, there is a little overlapping. The origin of the story was a commemoration of the Jews about the birth of Jesus Christ.

Therefore, this story originates from the religious belief among the Jews on the revelation of the prophecy that a king will be born and he will be the messiah. ¹³

As mentioned earlier in this section, the figures on the top left corner of the painting are angels.

Comparing the works of art by Giotto and Bellini in terms of form, weight and negative space used

It is certain that Giotto has been regarded by late renaissance artists as the father of western art. This is due to the fact that he took a bigger step to embrace the spirituality style, a factor that changed the direction of art legacy.

Notably, Giotto had a unique way of doing works of art that was easy to convince people on matters related to religious beliefs. In this case, artist of the late renaissance era emulated him and hence their works have common aspects.¹⁴

One of the notable artists who emulated Giotto’s style is Jacopo Bellini who produced a painting of the same style titles “the virgin and child” in 1465. One of the similarities of their works of art is the sensitivity and use f color styles in their painting.

Both Bellini and Giotto have used slow-drying and clear paints in their pictures. Notably, their pictures exhibit a beautiful works that portrays their very master of artistic skills.

Needless to say, both of the paintings are expansive and have a splendor that produces a radiating effect due to the color choice.

Note that proper choice of color allows the audience to figure out every detail that exists in the picture. Moreover, this gives captures the true feeling and divine conservation of nature

In addition to this, it is arguable that both painters have their work portraying a dynamic spatial equilibrium form the fact that the figures are arranged rhythmically both in shape and line.

For this reason, the audience is able to interact freely with the figures portrayed in the pictures since they give room for an impressive view.

Moreover, it is arguable that both painters have their work portraying a dynamic spatial equilibrium form the fact that the figures are arranged rhythmically both in shape and line.

For this reason, the audience is able to interact freely with the figures portrayed in the pictures since they give room for an impressive view. Furthermore, evidence has shown that the artists gives equal weight to their work of a-rt.

Needless to mention this, both Giotto and Bellini have high quality skills to express matters of divinity by the way they arrange their figures in the pictures. For instance, Giotto portrays the angels at the top with their arms thrown out almost flying to the scene where the child is born.

Additionally, he portrays the wise men bending over in front of the child, an aspect that demonstrates spirituality and respect for a sacred being. On the other hand, Bellini paints a virgin woman holding a child with adorations.

In this case, one can argue that the artists give weight to their artistic works to express emotion not just through movements but also the facial expressions of characters in the picture.

It is imperative to note that the artist naturally make use of available space giving the pictures a neat look. Note that the paintings looks more imposed while viewing them at a glance.

In this case, they make good use of negative background and this makes the figures to appear spontaneously free. In addition to this, the objects in the pictures despite the fact that they appear free and independent, they portray some sense of unity, a factors that enables them to bring out the desired message to the audience.

Of essence to note it is that the artist skills give their work a sense of infinite beauty and naturalism. Nonetheless, the fact that Bellini imitated Giotto’s artistic styles, that does not deny his work a truthful representation of its originality.

This is due to the fact that works of art is not a matter of imitation but the appearance that makes it distinct from the rest.

Bibliography

Corrain, Lucia. The Art of the Renaissance. New York: The Oliver Press, Inc., 2008.

Giotto.”Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004.” Encyclopedia. Web.

Ladis, Andrew. Giotto’s O: Narrative, Figuration, and Pictorial Ingenuity in the Arena Chapel. New York: Pennsylvania State UP, 2009.

Perkins, Mason. Giotto. New York, Vintage Books, 2010.

Pierpont, John. The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Guide to the Loan. New York: BiblioLife, 2010.

Quilter, Harry. Giotto. London: Nabu Press, 2012.

Footnotes

Harry Quilter, Giotto. (London: Nabu Press, 2012), 67.
Ibid., 59.
Lucia Corrain, The Art of the Renaissance. (New York: The Oliver Press, Inc., 2008), 78.
Mason Perkins, Giotto. (New York, Vintage Books, 2010), 129.
Ibid., 231.
John Pierpont, The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Guide to the Loan. (New York: BiblioLife, 2010), 85.
Andrew Ladis, Giotto’s O: Narrative, Figuration, and Pictorial Ingenuity in the Arena Chapel. (New York: Pennsylvania State UP, 2009), 64.
John Pierpont, The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Guide to the Loan. (New York: BiblioLife, 2010), 72.
Lucia Corrain, The Art of the Renaissance. (New York: The Oliver Press, Inc., 2008), 102.
.
.
Andrew Ladis, Giotto’s O: Narrative, Figuration, and Pictorial Ingenuity in the Arena Chapel. (New York: Pennsylvania State UP, 2009), 64.
Ibid., 46.
Giotto, “Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004.” Encyclopedia.

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