Giotto di Bondone

An Italian Renaissance painter, Giotto was an influential artist and architect in the late middle ages. He was liked by all, and was taken as an apprentice to Cimabue, one of the two most highly renown painters of Tuscany (the other being Duccio), after drawing lifelike depictions of sheep on rocks. He is said to have pained a fly on a painting of Cimabue's that was so lifelike that Cimabue was said to have tried to brush it off several times. he is also said to have been asked by the pope to demonstrate his skill, he drew a circle in red paint that was so perfect it was assumed to have been drawn with the assistance of a compass. Most of the works credited to Giotto have been disputed and we may never know the actual truth. His most influential work was done in 1305, the painted decoration of the interior of the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua.

The beginning of the Renaissance

The 1300's are the beginning of the Italian Renaissance, that went until around 1600. This time represented the transition from the medieval age to early modern Europe, and was very important for science and the arts. Two very important artists of this time were Duccio and Giotto, both Italian artists. Most of their work is done with an overwhelming religious theme. Duccio's work "The Madonna", painted around 1300 on a wooden pannel, was purchased as of November 2004 for the current highest record of the museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Madonna with Child and six Angels (Duccio)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madonna_with_Child_and_six_Angels_(Duccio)

This is a piece of art by Duccio that was created 1300-1305. It would seem art at this time had a lot of religious themes.

Beginnings

Today (10/15/2010) marks the first day of my midterm for ARTH 125 01 - Visual Art and Society. The assignment is to do research about a specific date (1300's) and relate major works of art/artists, find direct relationsios between art/artists, ie. sum up the time period, exact situations, "whats in the air/vibe/news/popular culture." Who are the popular artists and why? What is "High Art," the difining art of this time period. I am allowed to use picture from the net, and i should start vague and then find a point to focus on. I get to be "the curator" and decide who/what is popular and why, and relate that to my own life in 2010.