Lamentation Giotto di Bondone 1305-06 fresco 200x185cm
Arena Chapel, Padua
Giotto has been described as the creator of modern painting. He managed to instill life and substance into flat, painted forms a century before the Renaissance and he broke free of the stiff hieratic formula that had been the convention of religious paintings. Equally important is his achievement of creating some of the most unforgettable images of humanity within vividly presented dramatic scenes. His greatest surviving work is the series of fresco paintings in the Arena Chapel.
Giotto has been described as the creator of modern painting. He managed to instill life and substance into flat, painted forms a century before the Renaissance and he broke free of the stiff hieratic formula that had been the convention of religious paintings. Equally important is his achievement of creating some of the most unforgettable images of humanity within vividly presented dramatic scenes. His greatest surviving work is the series of fresco paintings in the Arena Chapel.