Art History: The History of Art and Artists

Running head: ART HISTORY 1 

Art History 

Name of Student 

Institution affiliation 

Art History 

Question 1 

Giovanni Cimabue is probably one of the most recognized Florentine painters whose life is not much documented. It is believed that the name Cimabue was given to him even though there are a lot of conflicting views on whether his actual name was Cenni Di Peppo or Bencivieni di Pepi. However, what is mostly agreed upon is the fact that he was born in 1240in Florence from a noble family. Cimabue went on to study literature at the monastery of Santa Maria Novella where he met great artists of Byzantine art of mosaics that had visited Florence to do some works of art. Soon, Cimabue comes up with his style different from that of his masters. Around 1270, he makes a wooden crucifix of San Domenico church in Arezzo. He breaks away from Byzantine technique adding more humanism vision to the tragedy of Calvary. He gives the painting of a suffering Christ instead of the triumphant Christ that had previously dominated the art. Giovanni Cimabue is believed to have lived in Florence where he trained for his artistic works. Cimabue showcased his pieces of art in Arezzo, Rome, and Florence. He created a wooden crucifix in Florence for Santa Rose Church which destroyed by the great floods of 1966. 

Giorgio Vasari believes that the painting of the Virgin Mary by Cimabue brought a new sensitivity to the previous pictures. Cimabue sought to show a new pictorial vocabulary and break with the last Byzantine art which appeared to be rigid in its creativity. The composition of the picture of the Virgin Mary is dense and symmetrical. The imposing Mary is hieratic. Cimabue subtly and gently models the face to endow the figure with a sense of humanity. 

Question 2 

The three masters who changed the course of painting at the thirteenth and fourteenth century were Florentine Giotto di Bondone, The Roman Pietro Cavallini, and Duccio di Buoninsegna. 

Oedipus and the Sphinx is a creation of Gustave Moreau (1864) who used oil on canvas to create his art. It demonstrated change by bringing humanism and realism to the paintings as opposed to the earlier paintings. Fresco's technique was vulnerable to moisture and could easily get damaged by the damp environment. The medium for Fresco enabled spatial relationships and complex narratives. Often, they were painted in a cycle, series or for a single space. The sequences often depicted scenes from the Life of Christ or the Virgin Mary. His composition had a sense of clarity and carried much of Giotto's naturalism. His painting was volumetric and has a sculptural presence. Fresco dampened the bare wall first before coating it with a layer of lime plaster in which the design got to be brushed or drawn in red earth pigment. The composition then got to be painted in different sections. Every section was made of smooth plaster. Pigments were dumped in water and applied to the plaster layers. As they dried, there was a chemical reaction which could stick the pigment to the segment. The embellishment could then be used to drywall. 

Unlike Fresco's style, Panel painting used a seasoned plank which had dried for some time. It was layered with several coats size. After completing the underdrawing, the panel could then be used for gilding. Before gilding, the areas to be gilded were first prepared with reddish clay which provided an adhesive surface for gold leaf. The gold leaf was created by grinding a small amount of gold into thin sheets, which could then be applied to the panel using a gilder's tip. Additional decorations would then be added to the surface using metal rods. Punching was often used to create an intricately detailed halo around the heads of the holy figures. The panel could finally be painted using tempera paints. 

Question 3 

The chapel was built and decorated to atone for the sin of usury. Usury is charging interest for a loan. Enrico Scrovegni practiced it. Usury was a sin which could not easily be forgiven. Commissioning art in churches was a popular way which was used by people to earn their ways to heaven. The overall visual message of the chapel painting expresses the mythology of the Scrovengi family. The chapel pays real attention to the interactions between individual characters all of them combining to achieve a common goal. Giotto combines Judas with the scene of visitation to exercise contrast and reflect the meeting of the Virgin Mary and Elizabeth that it faced. It brings ironic connotations and brings a psychological depth from his position.