ALTICHIERO da Zevio
(b. ca. 1330, Zevio, d. ca. 1390, Verona)

Adoration of the Magi (detail)

1378-84
Fresco
Oratorio di San Giorgio, Padua

The Adoration of the Magi is located middle right on the entry wall of the chapel.

Altichiero always gave his figures space, in the sense of room to move, along with this freedom of movement are their characteristic serenity and deliberate quality, which is strongly reminiscent of Giotto's figural ideal. A good example of this is the Adoration of the Magi, in which one can clearly see how Altichiero has combined the Giottesque character of the figures with the penchant for narrative detail that is more in tune with the taste of his own time. He does this by directing the attention of the viewer to the retinue of people from the Orient, to the humble appearance of the stable, and to the clothing, with its often contemporary, ultrafashionable cut and high-quality materials. Furthermore, in order to denote the specific locality, the painter allows the walls and towers of Bethlehem to rise beyond the mountains.




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