Giotto's “Madonna Enthroned” is considered an important milestone in art history as it painted for the Florentine Church of Ognissanti. Painting was still under the influence of the Byzantine style where the figures were two-dimensional, stiff and evoked no emotional involvement. Without Giotto, the philosophical and artistic movements of Renaissance would never have surfaced. For the first time, Madonna and the Child are placed in a well-defined space, with Mary sitting on a throne that shows a perspective, thus moving towards realism. She holds the Child as a real mother would do. The folds of the garments drape and fall naturally on the figures that stir an emotion inside the viewer (The Ognissanti Madonna by Giotto 2016). The angels in the foreground are shown singing in a realistic way. The artists purposely draws Madonna and the Child larger as compared to the angels that are smaller. The typically vacant expressions are gone from the faces and what one sees here are faces of wonder and admiration in the angles as they look in upward direction at the Madonna and child.
Giotto’s style is looked upon as an innovation in art history that changed the course of 14th-century painting. His work may not be perfect, but his novel approach to painting spiritual figures made him and the work extremely famous. The use of vibrantly real colors and contrasting light and shadows and the emotions in the artwork made him much sought-after by the church. It was him who took the next step in art, and this is how the Renaissance began (Ognissanti Madonna 2016). There is very little information about the reception of the Ognissanti Madonna, but it is known that the work was commissioned to create a great altarpiece for the church in Florence.
Works Cited
"Ognissanti Madonna." artble. 2016. Web. 30 May. 2016.
"The Ognissanti Madonna by Giotto." uffizi.org. 2016. Web. 30 May. 2016.
