Let her go in a fresco

Giotto (1266-1337) was an early renaissance artist who flourished in the artistic style of fresco painting. This style of painting had the artist put their work directly onto the moist plaster by using pigments ground in water so that the paint would be apart of the wall itself.(Zophy 88) This was a very difficult technique that Giotto mastered. Using this technique, he helped revolutionize the artistic era of the early renaissance. Giotto’s platform which he painted on helped him get recognized, but his artistic ability is what helped him stand out from the rest of the artists of the time. Giotto wanted to make sure he grabbed the viewers attention and make them feel what the figures in the painting felt. This was done by giving nearly every one of the subjects an emotion that helped show the severity of the event. An example of this can be seen in Giotto’s fresco painting Death of the Virgin. In this fresco painting the virgin Mary is lying in her death bed while she is accompanied by her friends, family, and angles.

This painting embodies Giotto’s style to a tee with couple of interesting nuances seen within it. Giotto’s personal touch on his paintings is to show emotion with all figures. The grief seen on the faces of those witnessing the death of Mary is very noticeable. From the family to the angels, all show sorrow. One thing that is peculiar about this painting is that there is a significant number of angels present. At this point in time, woman were looked down upon, since Eve led Adam astray and caused the fall of man. Therefore, all woman were viewed as evil. With this in mind, this painting contained more angels than any other painting of its time which shows that Giotto realizes the significance of the event he is portraying. This can be related back to class discussions because Mary is experiencing the final sacrament of a catholic, the anointing of the sick.