Cimabue, Santa Trinita Madonna & Giotto's Ognissanti Madonna

Summary

The video compares two Proto-Renaissance masters, Cimabue and Giotto, through their paintings of the Madonna Enthroned. Both pieces, displayed at the Uffizi in Florence, highlight the shift from medieval to Renaissance art. Cimabue's work, characterized by a linear, symbolic style, contrasts with Giotto's more substantial, human-focused depiction. The discussion explores the artists' techniques, such as the use of egg tempera and gold leaf, and how Giotto's work reflects early Renaissance ideas by emphasizing perspective and the human presence.

Takeaways

• 🎨 Cimabue and Giotto are two prominent Proto-Renaissance masters known for their Madonna Enthroned paintings.
• 🏛️ Both paintings were originally altar panels, with Cimabue's piece being over 12 feet tall and Giotto's more than 10 feet high.
• 🕰️ Cimabue is credited as the first artist to transition away from medieval styles toward a more human-focused Renaissance style.
• 🏞️ The flat gold backgrounds in both paintings symbolize a divine, heavenly space, with no earthly realm depicted.
• 🖌️ Cimabue's Madonna is characterized by elongated features, linear drapery, and a symbolic representation rather than a realistic one.
• 👼 Giotto's painting marks a significant shift with more substantial and realistic depictions, including angels placed behind each other, creating depth.
• 🌟 Giotto introduces a single perspective, situating the viewer in a specific position relative to the figures, emphasizing human presence.
• 📏 Giotto's use of light and dark modeling creates a sense of volume and solidity, contrasting with Cimabue's more linear approach.
• 🔍 Both paintings reflect the cultural and artistic transitions of the late 13th and early 14th centuries, responding to changing views on the human and divine.
• 🕊️ Despite the differences, both paintings adhere to a tradition of representing holy figures, emphasizing their universal and timeless nature.

Q & A

Who are the two artists being compared in the video?

The video compares two Proto-Renaissance masters, Cimabue and Giotto.

What is the common subject of the two paintings being discussed?

Both paintings depict the Madonna Enthroned, a common religious subject featuring Mary, the mother of Christ, holding the Christ child, surrounded by angels.

Where are the two paintings currently located?

Both paintings are located in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy.

What is the significance of the large size of these altar paintings?

The large size, with Cimabue's painting being over 12 feet tall and Giotto's over 10 feet tall, was meant to make them visible from the full distance of a church nave.

How does Cimabue's style reflect the transition from medieval to Renaissance art?

Cimabue's style shows the first steps away from a medieval, more symbolic approach towards a more human-focused Renaissance style, though it still retains some medieval elements like elongated figures and a linear approach to drapery.

What technique did both artists use for these paintings, and how does it affect the style?

Both paintings were done in egg tempera on wooden panels, a medium that dries quickly and doesn't blend well, leading to a more linear and detailed style.

How is space and perspective treated differently in Cimabue's and Giotto's paintings?

Cimabue's painting shows multiple viewpoints with some inconsistency in perspective, while Giotto introduces a more cohesive space with a single viewpoint, anticipating the development of linear perspective.

What are some key differences in the depiction of the Madonna in the two paintings?

In Cimabue's painting, the Madonna appears elongated and defined by lines, whereas in Giotto's, she looks more massive, with her form modeled through light and shadow, giving a more three-dimensional appearance.

How do the angels differ in the two paintings?

In Cimabue's painting, the angels are stacked in a flat, almost identical arrangement, while in Giotto's painting, the angels are placed behind one another, with some even partially obscured, creating a sense of depth.

What cultural and artistic changes does Giotto's painting reflect compared to Cimabue's?

Giotto's painting reflects a shift towards a more human-centered approach, with an emphasis on realistic space and the physical presence of the figures, marking the beginning of the transition into the Renaissance.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 Comparing Cimabue and Giotto's Madonna Enthroned Paintings

The video begins with an introduction to a comparison between two Proto-Renaissance masters, Cimabue and Giotto, through their paintings of the Madonna Enthroned. Both artworks, originally large altar paintings, are housed in the Uffizi in Florence. Cimabue's painting is over 12 feet tall, designed to be seen from a distance, while Giotto's is slightly smaller at over 10 feet. Cimabue is highlighted as a pioneer, moving away from medieval styles towards a more human-focused Renaissance approach, influenced by the pressures from the Byzantine Empire and the arrival of Eastern artists in Italy.

05:02

✨ Symbolism and Techniques in Cimabue's Madonna Enthroned

The discussion shifts to the symbolism and artistic techniques used in Cimabue's painting. The painting depicts a traditional religious subject: Mary holding the Christ child, surrounded by angels, with a gold background signifying a divine realm. The artwork uses egg tempera, which creates fine lines but lacks blending capabilities, contributing to its linear appearance. The gold leaf, burnished and tooled for texture, symbolizes the light of heaven. The figures, particularly Mary, exhibit elongated proportions, reflecting a blend of medieval and Byzantine influences, focusing on idealized forms rather than realistic human representation.

Keywords

💡Proto-Renaissance

The term 'Proto-Renaissance' refers to the early stages of the Renaissance period, before it fully blossomed in the 14th century. It signifies a transition from medieval to Renaissance styles in art. In the video, Cimabue and Giotto are described as Proto-Renaissance masters, indicating their pivotal roles in the shift towards a more human-focused and realistic art style.

💡Madonna Enthroned

The 'Madonna Enthroned' is a common subject in Christian art, depicting the Virgin Mary seated on a throne, often with the Christ child. It symbolizes Mary's exalted status and divine motherhood. In the video, the comparison of two paintings with this subject highlights the evolution of artistic style from Cimabue to Giotto.

💡Altar paintings

Altar paintings are large-scale artworks traditionally placed behind or above the altar in a church. They serve a devotional purpose and are meant to be visible from a distance. The script mentions that both Cimabue's and Giotto's paintings were originally altar paintings, emphasizing their size and significance in a religious context.

💡Tempera painting

Tempera painting is a technique using pigments suspended in a water-soluble binder, traditionally egg yolk. It is known for its quick drying time and distinct linear quality. The script describes the paintings as tempera on wooden panels, indicating the medium's influence on the artists' style and the paintings' appearance.

💡Gold leaf

Gold leaf is a thin layer of gold that is applied to surfaces for decorative purposes. In the context of the video, gold leaf is used in both paintings to create a divine, heavenly backdrop, symbolizing the reflective light of heaven and elevating the subjects above earthly realms.

💡Medieval style

The 'medieval style' refers to the artistic conventions prevalent during the Middle Ages, characterized by symbolic representations, stylized figures, and a lack of depth or perspective. The video contrasts this with the more humanistic and realistic Renaissance style, noting Cimabue's first steps away from the medieval style.

💡Byzantine elements

Byzantine elements refer to the artistic characteristics of the Byzantine Empire, which influenced medieval European art. These include elongated figures, symbolic representations, and a focus on spirituality over realism. The script points out the presence of such elements in Cimabue's painting, indicating a transition period in art.

💡Perspective

Perspective in art is the representation of how objects appear to the eye in terms of their dimensions and position in space. The video discusses the lack of a single perspective in Cimabue's painting and the development of a more defined viewpoint in Giotto's work, reflecting a growing interest in spatial realism.

💡Modeling

Modeling in art refers to the technique of giving three-dimensional form to figures or objects through the use of light and shadow. The script contrasts the linear definition of drapery in Cimabue's painting with the more realistic modeling in Giotto's work, showing a move towards depth and volume.

💡Old Testament prophets

Old Testament prophets are figures from the Hebrew Bible who foretold the coming of the Messiah. In the context of the video, they are depicted in the paintings as part of the religious narrative and to provide a connection between the Old and New Testaments, reinforcing the theme of divine prophecy and fulfillment.

💡Renaissance

The Renaissance was a period of cultural rebirth in Europe, marked by a renewed interest in classical art, literature, and learning. The video discusses the roots of the Renaissance in the late 13th century, suggesting that cultural and geopolitical factors contributed to the shift towards a more humanistic and realistic artistic style.

Highlights

Comparison between two Proto-Renaissance masters, Cimabue and Giotto, focusing on their paintings of the Madonna Enthroned.

Both paintings are large altar panels, with Cimabue's being over 12 feet tall and Giotto's over 10 feet, originally meant to be seen from the distance of a church nave.

Cimabue is regarded as the first artist to transition away from the medieval style towards a more human-focused Renaissance approach.

The discussion includes a theory on the Renaissance's roots, suggesting influence from Byzantine artists fleeing pressure from Islam in the east.

Both paintings feature the standard religious subject of Mary holding Christ, surrounded by angels, saints, and prophets, with extensive use of gold leaf.

Egg tempera is highlighted as the medium used, known for its linear quality and quick-drying properties, which influence the style of the paintings.

Cimabue's Madonna is noted for its elongated, symbolic features, reminiscent of medieval and Byzantine traditions.

Giotto's Madonna is depicted as more substantial and realistic, with a focus on modeling light and shadow to create a sense of volume and depth.

The angels in Cimabue's painting are stacked and lack interaction with gravity, while Giotto's angels are more spatially aware, overlapping and creating a sense of depth.

Giotto's work shows a clear evolution towards naturalism, with a more accurate portrayal of human form and space compared to Cimabue's more stylized approach.

The prophets in Cimabue's work are positioned in an unrealistic space, while Giotto situates them more naturally within the composition.

Giotto's use of perspective is more advanced, with a single viewpoint that places the viewer just below Christ, enhancing the sense of presence and humility.

The discussion reflects on the continuity and tradition in representing holy figures, noting that originality in this context was not seen as negative but as part of a universal, timeless expression.

Giotto's work is recognized as responding to cultural shifts, placing greater emphasis on the human and the here and now, which foreshadows the full bloom of the Renaissance.

The transcript emphasizes the gradual shift from medieval symbolic representation to a more human-centered, realistic portrayal that characterizes the early Renaissance.

Transcripts

Voiceover: So we were going to do a comparison

of two great Proto-Renaissance masters,

Cimabue and Giotto and compare them by looking at

two paintings of the Madonna Enthroned

so exactly the same subject.

Voiceover: These are both in the Uffizi in Florence,

but originally, of course, they were altar paintings,

panels which are very large.

In fact, the Cimabue is -

Voiceover: More than 12 feet.

Voiceover: Yeah, it's 12 feet tall, it's huge,

and that was so that it could be seen

the full distance of the church nave.

Voiceover: And the Giotto too is more than 10 feet high.

Voiceover: The Cimabue is a little earlier

and Cimbue is the very first artist

that Vasari talks about at the very beginning

of this incredible tradition of Italian painting.

Voiceover: So Cimbue is really seen to make

the first step away from a medieval style

toward a more human focused Renaissance style.

Voiceover: Yeah, and there's a lot of controversy

and interest in terms of why the Renaissance

has its roots at this particular moment

in this particular place.

I mean, why in Florence and why right here

at the end of the 13th century?

And one of the theories that's been put forward

is pressure that was being felt in

the Byzantine Empire to the east by Islam

and some of the artists perhaps fleeing

the great traditions of the east and coming to Italy

and perhaps prompting it to think beyond

the traditions of the medieval.

Voiceover: The first thing to say is that

this is just a really standard subject

that we see all the time, Mary, the mother of Christ,

holding the Christ child, surrounded by angels,

and/or saints and prophets, lots and lots of gold.

These are tempera paintings on wooden panels.

Voiceover: It's egg tempera and it's using minerals

that are suspended in that egg media.

It's good for little lines.

It doesn't blend well, it dries quickly,

and so there's a really linear aspect

to this painting which may in some respects

result from the tempera.

This is gold that's been flattened out.

Voiceover: Pounded very thin. Voiceover: It's a very-

thin gold leaf and, in fact, even tooled,

that is to say patterns have been pounded in

to make it even more interesting.

Voiceover: And it's been glued onto the wooden panel.

Voiceover: It's been burnished

and sometimes there's a kind of clay layer underneath

which you can sometimes see a little reddish,

but the gold itself is really meant as

this ornamental reflective material that

had a symbolic quality in that it was

meant to reflect the light of heaven.

Voiceover: Neither of these are set

in any kind of earthly realm.

The flat gold background indicates a kind of

divine, heavenly space for these figures to occupy.

Voiceover: And that makes sense when

you think of the Cimbue because the Madonna,

for instance, she's so - I guess maybe because

she's defined by line, if she stood up,

she would be so tall.

Voiceover: She would be very elongated

and her drapery is defined by line primarly

and not as much by modeling from

light to dark although a little bit.

Voiceover: There are some distinct medieval

or Byzantine elements that are still visible here.

Her fingers are very long, her mouth is very small,

the nose is very long, a kind of symbolism of the body,

not a representation of a real person so much

as a representation of a kind of ideal heavenly form.

Voiceover: The angels are all stacked kind of -

Voiceover: It's a good thing -

they have wings, isn't it?

Because what are they standing on?

Voiceover: I don't know, but we do begin to get

some sense of the beginnings of an illusion

of space in Cimabue.

Voiceover: She's got a little modeling under her chin

and you're right, the throne on which she sits

does sort of receive - except here's the funny thing.

When you look at the throne carefully,

it looks as if we're looking across at the Virgin Mary

but we're looking down at the seat

on which she's seated and in some ways

we're also looking up at her.

There's not a single perspective or point

in which the viewer is situated.

Voiceover: We have sort of multiple viewpoints

and that's something that, of course,

will disappear more than a century later

when we get to Brunelleschi

and the early Renaissance.

Voiceover: But I'm not comfortable with

the idea that Cimabue couldn't do it.

Voiceover: No.

Voiceover: So what about the four figures underneath?

Voiceover: It's interesting that they're

behind there to show some illusion of space.

Voiceover: And it kind of frames them as well.

Voiceover: It does and they're adorable

down there, those prophets.

You can always tell the prophets

'cause they're holding scrolls.

Voiceover: Okay, so these are Old Testament prophets.

Voiceover: Right, who would have predicted

the coming of a Messiah, of a Christ.

Voiceover: And here in the Catholic tradition,

of course, that would have been understood

as Christ, as you said.

Voiceover: Let's look over now at the Giotto

because things have really changed.

The Madonna just looks so massive,

and bulky, and look at how her hips and her thighs -

Voiceover: And her knee -

Voiceover: Yep.

Voiceover: Her breasts and her knees.

Voiceover: And look at how differently

the drapery is indicated.

Instead of by these tiny lines, right,

we now have real modeling from light to dark

to indicate her knees and her lap,

and even how the drapery pulls across

her chest and her breasts.

Voiceover: Looking back at the Cimabue now,

the Madonna looks so thin,

almost as if she's a paper cutout,

and the Giotto looks so substantial, so solid.

It's also interesting if you compare the angels

because in the Cimabue, in the earlier painting,

the angels are stacked up,

they don't sort of respond to gravity,

and they're also all very similar.

They're sort of an idealized face.

But if you look at the angels in the Giotto rendering

from a few decades later,

actually what's really interesting is Giotto

was willing to put the angels in back of each other,

even obscuring their faces.

Voiceover: And the way that they sort of

seem to go back behind the throne,

he's peeking his head through in the back there.

Voiceover: And yeah, the prophets aren't in

some sort of impossible basement now.

Voiceover: And look at how much more modeling

is in her face and in her neck.

Voiceover: There's one aspect of the painting by Giotto

that I think is really significant and really interesting.

In the Giotto, there's a very particular

single point that the viewer is looking at this from.

If you look, for instance, at the steps

moving up to the Virgin, you're looking down

at the top of the step clearly

so you know your eye is above that.

But you're also looking up at the ceiling of the throne

so you're somewhere in between

and, in fact, you're looking down at the seat,

but you'll notice that just where

the prophets' chins are, that's where everything

sort of is exactly horizontal so that's

the line at our height and that makes sense

because that would put us just below Christ,

a nice humble position.

There's a kind of left-right axis too

which is to say that I think we can see

a little bit more of the right window

so I think we're facing Christ.

Voiceover: This begins to situate the viewer.

Voiceover: This is not linear perspective.

Voiceover: It's kind of a more awareness of

the human presence in front of the painting.

Voiceover: I think that's exactly right.

Voiceover: You know, one of the things that

I like to think about is how similar these

two images are despite their differences

and the ways in which the understanding

of originality was so entirely different

than in our own culture.

Voiceover: Right, so this is not so much

derivative in a negative sense as we might think.

Voiceover: In fact, there was a real tradition

of the ways that you represent these figures

because these are holy figures.

Voiceover: That makes sense and also

this is very universal.

This is something that then says

it transcends time, it transcends space.

Voiceover: Right, but even within that,

Giotto is still creating this new image because obviously

things are beginning to change in the early 1300s.

Voiceover: But he must be responding to cultural changes.

That is, putting an emphasis on the here and now.

Voiceover: And on the human, right.

Voiceover: In a way that will, of course,

blossom into the Renaissance.

Voiceover: Exactly.