GIOTTO di Bondone
(b. 1267, Vespignano, d. 1337, Firenze)

Scenes from the New Testament: Lamentation (detail)

1290s
Fresco
Upper Church, San Francesco, Assisi

Two women emerge from behind the rock and approach those who have gathered to mourn around the body of Christ. The women look at one another with understanding, yet shaken. In contrast to the painters of the school of Cimabue, the young Giotto employs figures who add a reflecting comment to the depictions. This difference, which indicates a familiarity with antique art, is also demonstrated both in the relationship between body and garments and in the direct exchange of glances of the figures.




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