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

No. 2 Scenes from the Life of Joachim: 2. Joachim among the Shepherds

1304-06
Fresco, 200 x 185 cm
Cappella Scrovegni (Arena Chapel), Padua

Sad and introverted, Joachim arrives among the shepherds. Using the contrast between the lively sheep, the dog that greets him, and the knowing glances of the shepherds, Giotto elucidates his state of mind in the voluminous, closed form of the saint.