2. Giotto and the Arena Chapel

Question 1

Main idea of “The Arena Chapel: Patronage and Authorship” by Charles Harrison

Answer 1

patrons had some control over design choices, and often used these in self serving ways. Harrison uses the Scravengi family as an example. We should be careful in using public admiration of the time to determine if a work is a “masterpiece” because admiration can be based on misconceptions of a piece due to the patron.

Question 2

naturalism

Answer 2

• rendering paintings to appear in ways objects appear in the natural world
• a “fiction”, meaning there is an awareness that a depiction of a tree is not a “real” tree

-has three elements:
1. create a 3 dimensional space
2. more anatomically correct figures
3. depictions of convincing and intense facial expressions

Question 3

link between naturalism and the supernatural

Answer 3

naturalism could be modified to reveal supernatural characters, such as virgin Mary
- manipulation of scale

Question 4

what takes priority: naturalism or conveying religious narratives?

Answer 4

Narratives and depictions of supernatural characters. Artists contradicted natural spatial logic to better convey narrative

Question 5

Significance of depiction of peace in “Allegory of Good Government”?

Answer 5

The figure of a lady is an allegory for peace. Allegory is a different visual strategy than naturalism. In that figures and motifs represent abstract concepts, rather than corresponding objects in the natural world.

Question 6

Who painted The Arena Chapel?

Answer 6

Giotto in 1305

Question 7

Distinguishable features of the Arena Chapel

Answer 7

• located in Padua, in Venetian Republic
  -ancient Roman arena
  -attached to the Scrovengi family residence
• depicts virtues and vices
  -light source of paintings matches light source of chapel

Question 8

Who was the Arena Chapel dedicated to?

Answer 8

The virgin Mary “of charity”. The patron, Enrico Scrovengi, wanted to honor her, but also wanted to make the family seem like they valued charity

Question 9

Virtue and Vice depicted in the chapel

Answer 9

virtue: charity
vice: envy

Question 10

Altar wall of the Arena Chapel

Answer 10

Annunciation and Judas Betraying Christ

Question 11

Entry wall of the Arena Chapel

Answer 11

Last Judgement

Question 12

Theological context of annunciation

Answer 12

God sends sacred messenger Angel Gabriel to the human virgin (to tell her shes pregnant?)

Question 13

unsury

Answer 13

making money off of other people’s money, aka collecting interest (banking). Unsury was viewed as sinful at the time.

Question 14

Importance of Judas Betraying Christ

Answer 14

Painting depicts unsury, what the scrovengi family was accused of

Question 15

The Kiss of Judas (or also betrayal of Christ)

Answer 15

• located on side wall
  -vibrant colors
  -snapshot style, figures are not composed to fit perfectly within the scene
• appeals to the senses
• emphasis on key figures
  -dramatic expressions of Christ and Judas

Question 16

Last Judgement

Answer 16

• light comes from windows of chapel, but Christ is also used as a light source to show supernatural status in a natural way
• plaster is modeled thickly on above heads to look like halos when light is dim
• On march 25, the day of the annunciation, the light is designed to hit where enrico’s hand almost touches mary’s
• Every figure is portrayed as visible ( even if they think they aren’t). Shows giotto’s view that you can’t hide anything from the eyes of God
  Punishment in hell is visible