Segna di Bonaventura: Master of Sienese School Art - Essay Sample

Introduction

Without reasonable doubt, Segna di Bonaventura was one of the best painters in the profound school of the Sienese School in Italy whose fame in the world of art spread from 1298 to about 1331because of the nature and uniqueness of his paintings that show a curvilinear rhythms and rich in blend of remarkable colors (Hoving, 6). For instance, in 1306 he becomes acknowledge for painting a panel for the state office of the Biccherna in the Palazzo Pubblico located in sienna, then followed by his painting of the covenant Lecceto in the year 1317 and one of his best in 1315, Madonna and the Child with Nine Angels( ). Various collections of his great work have continued to shine across generations after generation, and some are distributed among multiple public collections like the North Carolina Museum of Art, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

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The Artwork Description

The Madonna and the Child with Nine Angels is a painting done in ancient times. It was done in a medium of Tempera on Panel with overall dimensions of 15 1/8 and 10 5/8 at the left-wing in a (38.4 by 27cm) and 15 by 10 5/8 in the right-wing in (38.1 by 27 cm) with an engaged frame in both sides(Hoving, 12). This paint by Segna depicted the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus and was made in circa 1315(Hoving, 26). The artwork was from an altarpiece that was very important for the church of the Silvestrine order, which was in 1231, one of the branches of Benedictines. The absolute radiant beauty of this work, fully enhanced by the colorful ornament details, reduces the tension of the drama associated with the crucifixion, hence, giving the worshiper two distinctive background image to enable meditation and prayer. ( Coor-Achenbach, 278 ) It is without a doubt that this art communicates without words. Like his master Duccio, Segna di Bonaventura's work emotionally expresses images, complex structures, and a single-use of subtle color variation to create a fantastic feeling.

Figure 1. Shows Bonaventura's painting of Madonna and Child with Nine Angles adopted from the Metropolitan Museum of Art website (Metropolitan Museum of Art, 5).

Despite the wear of the picturesque area, the painting is still in good condition. The details show the Virgin on a crimson cushion throne that remarkable designed with a glass inlay that is beautifully covered with a cloth combined with both pink and green color. She also puts on a great blue cloak over a crimson red gown and carries the child using her left arm, who raises his right hand towards Madonna(Crowe and Battista, 277). The child is dressed up in a milky white lawn, which is slightly covered by a dark mauve veil. Around each side of the throne are standing figures portraying angels. Those located in the forward position on the left side of the painting are wearing a blue cloak over a rather light green cloth.

In contrast, those on the right side, a greenish-blue gown on a red tunic, those in in the central position from left have a red cloth on a green tunic and those in the right location a red gown over a blue tunic, while those at the back from left have a green dress over a gold cloth with patterns of red and those at right have a slightly light brown on a green cloth. All of these angels had characteristic red wings patterned in gold. Behind the thrown are three angels holding material of honor with pink brocade that also has white tints. They are wearing a from the center a blue cloth on a bright red fabric, and the left a pale green cloth over a mauve one and on the right side a green cloak over a red one.

His work highlight contains clear ideas of palette design accompanied by a well laid out execution. His master Duccio was his influence behind the making of this art. In many ways, he always keenly Duccio's artwork; therefore, he strived to perfect Duccio's work. However, the initial integration of creativity in the portrait of this artist begun with De Nicola (Henk, 188). But despite the availability of detailed bibliography explain this phenomenon, there are still missing links on the correct catalog of the works that clearly show this artist was involved and the chronology. The attributions of the presently known diptych are questioned on broader length by Brandi, who regards and identifies the work in all ways as being that of the influential Maestro di Monte(Pope-Hennessy, 577). This attribution is, however, accepted to be correct by Mendelsohn. (Pope-Hennessy, 577). The type of cloth of honor design of both the Virgin and the child art aligns with those of the current diptych aligns with those of Virgin and Child with six Angels fond in the Yale University art Gallery, which in many ways resemble part of a diptych with a crucifixion. Stubblebine describes the Madonna found at Monte Oliveto as the lost Maesta of Duccio that was initially painted in the year 1302 courtesy of the Chapel of the Nove found in Palazzo Pubblico in Sienna(Pope-Hennessy, 577) and as the painter's first work. The design of the cartoon figures used in this one is, in many ways, not like the rest of the paintings. It is, however, fundamental note that the two out the three males drawings on the right side of crucifixion are strictly the same as those in the Ducciesque crucifixion displayed in the Museum of arts in the state of Boston and that at the front of the drawing of the virgin.

Also, the opening content of the Madonna and the Child, combined with the angels, are systematically arranged in a semicircle shape around the throne.

Conclusion

The paintwork is done in the religious era, and it helped a lot of belief connect with both their fellow believers and the creator (Garrison, 108). This painting created a framework and sources in which believers connected to Jesus, their savior when praying or meditating. It, in some sense, created a strong presence of Jesus and her mother, Mary. To this day, the paint texture and surface are carefully preserved; however, through wear and tear, minor parts on specific parts on the surface of the artwork show pain losses, especially at the back of the child's head and also his raised right hand. The gold color of the haloes is still visible and intact. The unbelievable condition of this painting was described as being in a common condition.

Works Cited

Hoving, Thomas. Making the Mummies Dance: Inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Simon and Schuster, 1994. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/460151

Coor-Achenbach, Gertrude. "A New Attribution to the Monte Oliveto Master and some Observations concerning the Chronology of his Works." The Burlington Magazine 97.628 (1955): 203-207.

Crowe, Joseph Archer, and Giovanni Battista Cavalcaselle. A History of Painting in Italy: From the Second to the Fourteenth Century. Vol. 3. J. Murray, 1866.

Van Os, Henk W. "The Madonna and the Mystery Play." Simiolus: Netherlands Quarterly for the History of Art 5.1/2 (1971): 5-19.

Garrison, Edward B. "Post-War Discoveries: Early Italian Paintings-II." The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs 89.533 (1947): 210-217.

Pope-Hennessy, John. The Robert Lehman Collection: Vol. 1, Italian Paintings. Vol. 1. Metropolitan museum of art, 1987.