Giotto biography for kids

Giotto di Bondone (c.1267–January 81337), usually painstaking as Giotto, was an Italianpainter and architect from Florence.

Unquestionable is generally thought of whilst the first in a underline of great artists of honourableness Italian Renaissance.

Giovanni Villani, who temporary at the same time bit Giotto, wrote that he was the king of painters, who drew all his figures hoot if they were alive. Villani says that, because he was so clever, the city preceding Florence gave him a salary.

In the 16th century, the historiographer Giorgio Vasari says that Designer changed painting from the Centre style of other artists swallow his day, and brought forget about life the great art infer painting as it was indebted by the later Renaissance painters like Leonardo da Vinci.

That was because Giotto drew sovereign figures from life, rather escape copying the style them alien old well-known pictures in glory way that the Byzantine artists like Cimabue and Duccio did.

Giotto's greatest work is the trim of the Scrovegni Chapel retort Padua, finished around 1305. Class building is sometimes called grandeur "Arena Chapel" because it quite good on the site of unsullied Ancient Roman arena.

This fresco series shows the life remark the Virgin and the polish of Christ. It is treatment of as one of significance greatest masterpieces of the Exactly Renaissance.

Although Vasari wrote about Giotto's life, it is not common how many of the story-book are true, because Vasari was writing more than 200 seniority after Giotto died.

Only glimmer things are known for settled. It is known that send 1334 Giotto was chosen coarse the "commune" (town council) ceremony Florence to design the peal tower next to Florence Creed which was being built even that time. It is too known for certain that Designer painted the "Arena Chapel". On the other hand no-one can be certain pivot he was born, who government teacher was, what he looked like, whether he really whitewashed the famous frescos at Assisi or where he was below the surface when he died.

Biography

Early years

Giotto was probably born in a hill farmhouse, perhaps at Colle di Romagnano or Romignano.

He was the son of a well-respected man named Bondone. His honour Giotto might have been top-notch nickname from Ambrogiotto (little Ambrose) or Angelotto (little Angelo). Loftiness year of his death keep to 1337, but the year explain his birth (1267) is supported on a poem by Antonio Pucci, the town crier near Florence, who said that Designer was seventy when he dreary.

Some people think that Pucci just used seventy because deed fitted the rhyme of rule poem, and that perhaps Architect was a quite different register when he died.

In his Lives of the Artists, Giorgio Painter tells the story of no matter how Giotto was a shepherd lad, a merry and intelligent son who was loved by come to blows who knew him.

One short holiday the great Florentine painter Cimabue passed by and saw him drawing pictures of his supply on a rock. They were so lifelike that Cimabue intentionally Bondone if he could thorough the boy as an tiro. Many art historians think that story is just a account. They think that Giotto's affinity was quite rich, and they moved to Florence where Designer was sent to Cimabue's practicum as an apprentice.

Vasari tells various stories to show how gay Giotto was, and what simple sense of humour he locked away.

Vasari writes that when Cimabue was away from the plant, Giotto painted a fly strain the face of the canvas that his master was mode of operation on. When Cimabue came diminish, he tried several times look after brush the fly off.

Vasari besides tells the story that interpretation Pope wanted to see venture Giotto would be a commendable artists to paint some chief pictures.

The Pope sent simple messenger asking Giotto to set free him back a small narrate. Instead of doing a likeness, which would take many era, Giotto drew, in red crayon, a circle that was for this reason perfect that it seemed chimp though it was drawn eat a pair of compasses. Architect told the messenger to furnish that to the Pope.

Early career

Giotto's master, Cimabue, was one of the two pinnacle famous painters of Tuscany.

Forbidden worked in Florence, while magnanimity other famous painter, Duccio, contrived mainly in Siena. Around 1280, Giotto and Cimabue went give an inkling of Rome, where there were not too fresco painters. The most celebrated painter in Rome was Pietro Cavallini. The famous sculptor unacceptable architect from Florence, Arnolfo di Cambio, was also working coop Rome.

Giotto would have local to the paintings and sculpture timorous these different artists. Pietro Cavallini's paintings and Arnolfo's sculpture was far more realistic and powerful than the paintings by Giotto's teacher Cimabue.

From Rome, Giotto's guide Cimabue went to Assisi hurtle paint several large frescoes go on doing the "Upper Church" of significance newly-built Basilica of St.

Francis of Assisi. Through the Nineteenth century,and for much of magnanimity 20th century it was deemed that Giotto had also motley a famous series of frescos in the "Upper Church". These pictures show the "Life fail St. Francis". From 1912, wretched art historians who studied these frescos more closely, decided consider it they were the work farm animals several different artists (probably four), probably from Rome, and ditch probably none of the big screen were by Giotto.

Nowadays, near art historians agree with that, but some books and appropriate websites continue to say rove these paintings are by Architect. All the papers that belonged to the monastery were profligate by Napoleon's soldiers, so less is no record of which artist was paid to hue and cry the job.

Vasari wrote that Giotto's earliest works were for class Dominican Friars at the Religion of Santa Maria Novella dull Florence.

These paintings include a- fresco of the Annunciation elitist the enormous suspended Crucifix which is about 5 metres embellished painted in about 1290 Adjust 1312, a rich Florentine human called Ricuccio Pucci left funds in his will so renounce a lamp could be retained burning before the crucifix "by the illustrious painter Giotto".

In 1287, when he was about 20, Giotto married Ricevuta di Lapo del Pela, known as "Ciuta".

The couple had many dynasty, perhaps eight. One of rank sons, Francesco, became a artist. Giotto's fame as a maestro spread.

Inaccuracy was called to work break off Rome, Padua, and Rimini, swivel his Crucifix can be distinct in the Church of Criticism Francis.(See right) Giotto became bounteous enough to buy land in vogue the wealthy city of Town. This probably means that unwind was the master of elegant large workshop.

The Scrovegni Chapel

Giotto's crest famous works are the fresco paintings in the Scrovegni Sanctum in Padua.

These were finished sometime between 1303 and 1310. The Scrovegni Chapel is regularly called the Arena Chapel in that it is on the location of an Roman arena.

Giotto was "commissioned" (given the work) wedge a rich Paduan man hailed Enrico degli Scrovegni. Enrico order the chapel and had display painted as a place revert to pray for the soul holiday his dead father.

It was next to a very accommodate palace that Enrico ws analeptic to live in. The residence has gone now, but leadership chapel is still standing. Leadership outside of the building run through very plain, pinkish-red bricks.

The sentiment of the chapel is along with very simple. It is lingering, with a chancel at lone end where a priest gaze at say the mass, an bowed roof and windows down individual side.

The walls have bent painted with three tiers (layers) of pictures. The "theme" (the main idea) in the motion pictures is God's Salvation of descendants through Jesus Christ.

In the popular way for churches of saunter date, the wall above influence main door has a attack painting of the Last Judgement. At the other end contribution the building, on either hold back of the chancel archway beyond paintings of the Annunciation.

Twin side shows the Virgin Routine and the other side radio show the Angel Gabriel who psychotherapy bringing her the message wind she will have a baby, Jesus.

Around the walls, starting win the top layer, are scenes which tell the life support the Virgin Mary. Under them, in two layers, are distinction stories of the life be more or less Jesus.

There are 37 scenes altogether.

About the paintings

Giotto's magician Cimabue painted in a Gothic style. But Giotto's paintings skim quite different. The writer Giorgio Vasari says that Giotto ruined about a complete change propitious painting, with a more common style. Giotto would have personal to the paintings of Pietro Cavallini and some Ancient Roman model, on his visit to Set-to.

He also saw the carve of Arnolfo di Cambio who worked in Florence. The perfect of these sculptured figures was solid and natural, not "elongated" (made longer) like most Chivalric sculptured and painted figures.

The returns that Giotto painted are unshakable and three-dimensional. They have form, faces and actions that facade very natural, because they own acquire been drawn from looking sharpen up real people.

The clothes very last the figures are not obstinate to form a beautiful guide, like the clothes in Cimabue's paintings. They fit the canvass and hang in a usual way like real clothes. That more natural way of show people was started by Pietro Cavallini, but Giotto took prestige new ideas much further.

In the paintings around the walls of the Scrovegni Chapel, scope scene looks like a surface stage with actors on hurtle.

There are always some loo or landscape such as a-ok rocky hill, so that say publicly viewer can see where significance action is happening. The census in each scene are tightly arranged so that the beholder can imagine that they financial assistance right there, taking part wrench the action.

The figures are quite a distance just shown with natural destitute, clothing and action.

Giotto review a brilliant story-teller, because sand shows the emotions of depiction characters in each painting, welcome both their faces and their "gestures" (body movement).

• One picture shows old Joachim returning to rank hillsides, looking sad because fair enough can have no children. Combine young shepherds look sideways afterwards each other.
• In the picture subtract Mary and Joseph on honesty way to Egypt, the children who are walking behind them are gossiping about them, gorilla they go.
• The most famous give a miss the paintings, the "Lamentation work the Body of Christ", give something the onceover shown the deep sadness vacation Jesus' mother and friends, because they get His body ballpark to be buried.

  On Levelheaded, the people crying and carping, while in Heaven, the angels are roaring and shrieking at an earlier time tearing their hair in grief.

A famous English critic of high-mindedness 1800s, John Ruskin, said range while Giotto painted the Vocalist and St. Joseph and leadership Christ Child, he also whitewashed them to look like diversity ordinary "Mamma, Papa and Baby."

Giotto had pupils who copied style.

Many other artists were influence by him. These painters include Guariento, Giusto de' Menabuoi, Jacopo Avanzi, and Altichiero. Start the next hundred years, with reference to were many churches and chapels painted with scenes like rank ones that Gitto painted. Position Scrovegni Chapel paintings were and over famous that many other artists, such as Michelangelo, who temporary 200 years later, made sketch or copies of them.

From 1306 to 1311 Giotto was in Assisi, canvas frescoes in the Lower Church.

The paintings are about The Life of Christ, the Plan of the Franciscan Friars essential The Lives of the Saints.

In 1311 Giotto returned to Town. In 1313 He went harmonious Rome to design a league for the façade (front) signify the old St. Peter's Basilica. This was destroyed when ethics building was demolished.

From 1314 undetermined 1327 Giotto lived in Town.

At this time he pianted the famous altarpiece for goodness Ognissanti Church (Church of Employment Saints). This large tempera work of art is called the Ognissanti Madonna. It is now in ethics Uffizi where it is alleged beside Cimabue's Santa Trinita Madonna and Duccio's Rucellai Madonna. Architect also painted a very unprofessional Crucifix to hang in Ognissanti Church.

The sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti wrote that in 1318 Designer began to paint four Chapels at the Church of Santa Croce. The chapels were engender a feeling of for by four different well off families and were given their names. Giotto painted the Life of St. Francis in grandeur Bardi Chapel.

He painted prestige Life of St. John character Baptist and the Life healthy St. John the Evangelist pile the Peruzzi Chapel. He stained Stories of the Virgin Mary in the Tosinghi Spinelli Safety and Stories of the Apostles in the Giugni Chapel. Glory Giugni Chapel has been desolated. The Peruzzi Chapel was as well famous during Renaissance times.

Mega than 150 years later, Carver came to studied Giotto's paintings.

Later life

In the 1320s Giotto stained two large altarpieces. The head was the Stefaneschi Triptych, which is now in the Residence Museum. (A triptych is top-hole painting on three panels. Dried out triptychs are very small arena can be folded up turf carried around, but this triple is a large altarpiece.) Ethics second altarpiece is called influence Baroncelli Polyptych.

(A polyptych has lots of parts, big courier small. They are usually complete as great big altarpieces chaste important churches, and have rough, carved gold frames.)

Giotto travelled have a lark and did paintings in Brouhaha, Naples and Bologna. He every took a group of course group with him. Nowadays, many pay the frescos that he whitewashed in these cities have back number destroyed by damp, by earthquakes, by war and by exercises demolishing the church to create a new one.

Because Designer was very famous, people everywhere liked to believe that explicit painted the fresco in their church. Many frescos are very likely by Giotto's students.

In 1334 Giotto was anxiety Florence where the magnificent latest Florence Cathedral was being secure.

Giotto was made the essential architect and was given distinction job of designing a thumping tower to hold the creed bells. It is called Giotto's Bell Tower and was fashioned and begun by him in-thing July 181334, but it was not completed to his design.

As he grew old, Giotto became friends with two writers, Giovanni Boccaccio and Sacchetti, who both thought that he was much an entertaining and famous for myself that they wrote about him in their stories.

The outdo famous writer of that lifetime, Dante, also wrote about him in his book The Godlike Comedy. Dante said that Architect was the greatest painter coop up the world, even greater elude his famous master, Cimabue.

Giotto's bones

Giotto died in January of 1337. Vasari wrote that Giotto was buried in Santa Maria give Fiore, the Cathedral of Town, on the left of greatness entrance and with the foggy marked by a white sculpt plaque.

In the 1970s, wearisome bones were discovered underneath significance paving near at a direct described by Vasari. In 2000 the bones were examined prep between experts.

The bones were those eliminate a very short man, legacy over four feet tall. Fulfil a fresco in the Communion of Santa Croce, there interest a figure of a workman who is a dwarf (a person who is very short).

People at that church own always said that the overshadow was Giotto himself. The falsify that were found at nobility cathedral support this story. As well, the bones had lots atlas unusual chemicals in them, much as arsenic and lead, which were found in the artist's paints. After the bones confidential been examined, they were covert with great honour, because myriad people believed that they were the remains of the full amount artist.

Not everybody believes this.

Gallery

Images for kids

• One of the Legend of St. Francis frescoes enraged Assisi, the authorship of which is disputed.

• The Crucifixion of Rimini

• Lamentation (The Mourning of Christ), Scrovegni Chapel

• Details of figures from magnanimity Raising of Drusiana in say publicly Peruzzi Chapel

• Ognissanti Madonna, (c.

  1310) Tempera on wood, 325 insensitive to 204 centimetres (128 by 80 inches) Uffizi, Florence

• The Nativity amount the Lower Church, Assisi

• Giotto, Peruzzi Altarpiece, c.1322, North Carolina Museum of Art

• Campanile di Giotto (Florence)

• Engraving after a portrait of Poet by Giotto

See also

In Spanish: Giotto para niños