Critical Evaluation - Ogissanti Madonna and Child

Introduction

Ogissanti is a remarkable masterpiece in the history of art. Giotto painted the altarpiece in 1310 for the Florentine church. Giotto was quite influential during the period of Renaissance. He transformed human representation through his paintings contrary to the previous painting which were based on graphic Byzantine style which was archaic. It was a breakthrough in the art in the painting of Madona and the Child as Giotto made comprehensive use of well-designed space.

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A close look at the painting reveals that Mary is resting on the throne which Giotto designed with precision with perspective in mind, displaying the notion of actual environment. The creases on portrayed on the garment highlight the sizes of the bodies. It is more captivating and more reasonable regarding conveying human figure. Before Mary and the child, are angels kneeling down with vases in their hands containing red, white roses, and lilies to symbolize Mary's purity and grief? They appear smaller progressively in regards to Mary. However, they have their backs bent, and their heads swayed to the back to have a good stare at the throne (Flores d'Arcais 195). The whole work represented religious perspective which was believed to have been ordered by Humiliati.

Ogissanti Madonna and Child was made using wooden material which was painted on tempera on the panels. Its polished solemnity is amazing with the web of golden edges, and various decorative elements of different colors add value to the masterpiece. He uses a red, green, pink tempera and golden background which gives the image a vivid luster. The wood used was of dimension 325 cm by 204 cm (Flores d'Arcais 95).

Notably, Giotto's painting was the first piece to utilize three-dimensional visualizations of the figures in the western European reconnaissance period. He also used a much smaller space compared to other artists to portray the essence of bodies in a piece of artwork. He flattened the painting to enhance the details. Instead of using lines, he applied color, shadows and light factors to elaborate the gleaming fabric. The contours beneath the fabric are quite conspicuous particularly around the breast and knees of Mary. The use of contrast in light serves quite right to attaint the perspective of the size of the figures. The figures around the throne are well put to, unlike other paintings which only put them on the surface. They are all aligned with focal points of the center (Flores d'Arcais 21). The stares of the figures around the throne contribute towards the perspective layout of the painting in totality and emphasize the loyalty of Mary and Child Christ. The elevation used by Giotto almost appears to be naturally elevated and conforms to the thought of representative function as well as a symbolic appearance in its modification.

The formal elements in the painting are unified to harmonize the traditional Italo-Byzantine style but with the integration of three-dimensional aspect which was a more advanced form of the proto-Renaissance period. He maintained the hierarchy of scale, a typical technique in this period but for him, it served to make the Enthroned Mary bigger compared to other surrounding figures. Giotto was influenced by his mentor's work known as Cimabue (Kleiner 206). Cimabue's symmetrically composed his art works which has similar subjects earlier. For instance, Virgin and Child Enthroned was made in the discourse of Italo-Byzantine technique but with more of that period's features (Kleiner 209). Besides, Giotto's figures were presented with quietude which was similar to Cavallini Pietro's works. Giotto gained insight from Pietro paintings who utilized neo-Byzantine works of frescos to stamp an ambiance of tranquility in the statuesque. On the other hand, Giotto, integrated Northern Gothic art to establish a more dramatic Ognissanti Madonna (MacFarland).

Conclusion

During this time, there was an emotional power of divine within individuals who were deeply rooted in religion. This image reveals the physical presence of Virgin Mary and Christ amongst those who believes and follows. It influences social understanding on how one can incorporate physical experience and understanding of emotional attachment to divinity and testament to the reverence. In this era, resources were mobilized to construct religious centers. These structures were also decorated inclusive of public places. Artwork was not used just a show of affluence but was mainly an avenue to express spirituality and faith (MacFarland). As such, the pieces of art like Madonna and the Child helped the people visualize the heavenly glory and built their firm relationships with the spiritual beings.

References

Flores d'Arcais, Francesca. Giotto. 2nd ed., Abbeville Press Publishers, 1995.

Kleiner, Fred S. Gardner's Art Through the Ages: A Concise Global History. 4th ed., Wadsworth/Cengage Learning, 2016.

MacFarland, Joanna. "Florence In the Late Gothic Period, An Introduction". Khan Academy, 2015, https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/renaissance-reformation/late-gothic-italy/florence-late-gothic/a/florence-in-the-late-gothic-period-an-introduction. Accessed 13 June 2018.