In this class, we first continued with our discussion on panels in the Scrovegni chapel. The narrative frescoes on the walls of the chapel that depict the life story of Jesus Christ stood out to me. In each panel half body of some figures are out of the frame, which gives a sense of continuity: with one scene, the audience gets the sense that actually more scenes are coming up. It is interesting that the gesture of Jesus in the “Christ’s Entry into Jerusalem” panel is similar to that in other paintings by other artists. Also, in “Lamentation”, only the back of some figures already conveys the grief without their face and expression being depicted. This reveals the high painting technique of Giotto, as he creates a sense of emotion with a limited depiction of the characters. The “crush down” atmosphere is also created by the figure’s position in this panel.
Then we moved to an introduction of St. Francis, who had a legendary life. It is admirable of him to leave his wealthy family and spend time with people in poverty. His idea that being poor make people closer to Christ and his advocation of the value of poverty stood out to me. I am impressed by the fact that he was canonized less than 2 years after he died, as, in general, the canonization is a long process to show a person has done miracles and is worthy to be recognized as a “saint”. This definitely shows the great contribution of St. Francis to contemporary society and his influence on Christanity.