GIOTTO di Bondone (b. 1267, Vespignano, d. 1337, Firenze) Scenes from the Life of Saint Francis: 1. Stigmatization of Saint Francis 1325 Fresco, 390 x 370 cm Bardi Chapel, Santa Croce, Florence A new Gothic tendency characterizes much of Giotto's late work, which is best represented by the frescoes in the Bardi Chapel of Santa Croce. By then the great Sienese painter Simone Martini had developed a refined, sophisticated version of Giotto's art, one deeply influenced by the French Gothic style. He was fast becoming Giotto's most serious Italian rival (he, too, was receiving many commissions f
GIOTTO di Bondone (b. 1267, Vespignano, d. 1337, Firenze) Scenes from the Life of Saint Francis: 1. Stigmatization of Saint Francis 1325 Fresco, 390 x 370 cm Bardi Chapel, Santa Croce, Florence A new Gothic tendency characterizes much of Giotto's late work, which is best represented by the frescoes in the Bardi Chapel of Santa Croce. By then the great Sienese painter Simone Martini had developed a refined, sophisticated version of Giotto's art, one deeply influenced by the French Gothic style. He was fast becoming Giotto's most serious Italian rival (he, too, was receiving many commissions from abroad), and Giotto's response to Martini's success was to modify his own painting, making it more refined and ornate. The Bardi Chapel frescoes did not provide the possibility for richness, given the rule of poverty imposed by St Francis. However, the elongated figures, delicate colours and pictorial softness are in keeping with this new tendency. The characters in the scenes from the life of St Francis, again shown in contemporary dress given their close proximity in time, have been given a more earthy, realistic appearance than those in the Peruzzi chapel. The St Francis cycle at Assisi still served as the model for scenes from life, though the limited space in the chapel made it necessary to restrict the number of episodes represented. The Stigmatization is on the entrance arch. The Renunciation of Worldly Goods appears in the lunette of the left wall; the Confirmation of the Rule in the opposite lunette; St Francis before the Sultan immediately below; the Apparition at Arles on the opposite wall; the Death and Ascension of St Francis below; the Vision of the Ascension of St Francis on the outer wall above the entrance arch. Only three of the original four Franciscan saints represented at the side of the window have survived: Louis of Toulouse Clare and the badly damaged Elizabeth of Hungary. The painted roundels on the vault enclose badly-preserved allegorical figure
Size: 2992px × 2992px
Photo credit: © Carlo Bollo / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 1300, 1300s, 14th, art, artwork, bondone, century, croce, di, florence, fresco, frescoes, giotto, historical, history, italian, life, paint, painter, painting, paintings, saints, santa
