In class today we began by finishing our discussion on 13th and 14th century Italy. Specifically, we examined the “advancement” of art through Cimabue and Giotto’s similar paintings of the Madonna and Child. Some constants between the pantings include a gold background symbolizing heaven, a central Madonna clothed in a stark blue holding her child, and angels surrounding the throne she sits on. However, Cimabue used an abstractness when designing his figures and the spatial relations were off. Giotto, only about thirty years later, focused on creating a logical space inside the image and painted cloth that draped beautifully. His touches gave the painting an entirely different perspective, where a viewer can look into the scene. This truly emphasized for me the impact that depth can have on an image.
Transitioning to 15th century Northern Europe, manuscripts were popular among the upper class patrons who could afford them. The large books acted as calendars and depicted small, hand-painted scenes. One such buyer was John, Duke of Berry who was an art collector in France. He was especially interesting as he used his manuscript as an inventory of his assets, showing tapestries, castles, serfs, and even himself in rich clothing. As evidenced with his manuscript, artists at the time were focused on painting a convincing reality.