Giovanni Pisano works. Romanesque and Gothic styles in the art of medieval Europe, the most important architectural monuments. Duccio di Buoninsegna

He became a much more famous sculptor than his father. Giovanni Pisano's style is more free and dynamic, he shows figures in motion and uses various means of dramatization, his sculptures are characterized by sharp turns and angular outlines.

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✪ Niccolò Pisano, Chair of the Pisa Baptistery. Giovanni Pisano, Massacre of the Innocents, pulpit of churches

✪ Andrea Pisano. Reliefs of the Campanile in Florence

✪ Giotto, Cappella del Arena (Scrovegni), Padua, ca. 1305 (Part 1 of 4)

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We are looking at the Baptistery in Pisa, a building founded in the middle of the 12th century. It is located in one of famous places which you could see. Here is the leaning Leaning Tower of Pisa. Yes exactly. The famous Leaning Tower of Pisa is actually the bell tower of the cathedral. This building, the baptistery, stands in front of the cathedral. This is how buildings were usually located in the Italian cities of the Late Middle Ages. The cathedral with the baptistery in front of it signifies a certain religious and civil center of the city. For example, we see the same thing in Florence. Yes. And here we see the same layout. Baptisteries were especially important buildings. This is where the children were baptized. It made a huge difference in these cities where life was defined Christian faith and rites. And here, in this place, each person through the rite of baptism was introduced into the Christian community of the city. Therefore, it is understandable why the city government actively decorated this particular place. Usually these places were very richly decorated, looked after, treated with great attention. It was important for such cities. Great, let's go. From an architectural point of view, this is the Middle Ages, right? Going inside, we see ... Inside we see something that anticipates radical changes, in some ways even revolutionary ones. This can be seen when looking at the structure inside the baptistery. This is the pulpit by Niccolò Pisano in the Baptistery of Pisa, completed around 1260. It was on the pulpit that the priest stood during the sermon. Yes. It was necessary to climb the pulpit, and these reliefs are, in fact, a low wall. Here, the eagle supports a small shelf where you can put a book or other text for the priest to read a sermon. So everyone could see and hear him. We see multicolored columns with capitals. Virtues are depicted above the capitals. And above here we see other reliefs, narrative reliefs showing episodes from the life of Christ. They are separated by small columns. I want to draw your attention to a very interesting figure of Fortitude. This is one of the virtues. One of the virtues on the capitals, under the reliefs. It's resilience, strength. We see an allegorical figure representing this virtue - fortitude. This figure is very interesting, it reflects changes, opens a new trend. In fact, it no longer looks like a medieval sculpture. Exactly. Not too Romanesque. It's definitely not gothic. But what is it? Very strong influence of the ancient classics, in terms of appearance and meaning. Of course, a muscular athletic figure is a logical representation of stamina and strength. Further, one can guess who this figure represents: on his left hand a lion skin is wound, and on his right shoulder he holds a lion cub. This allows us to recognize in this naked, athletic, muscular figure of Hercules, or Hercules, a Greek and Roman mythological figure, a demigod known for his strength. At the same time, this is an ancient character depicted in antique style, and a symbol of Christian virtue. Right. This is the Christian virtue of strength and fortitude, embodied in the ancient hero Hercules. Accordingly, its meaning is ancient. Like you said, it looks antique. Marvelous. Perhaps the easiest way to see this is in comparison with real antique sculpture. Here we see a depiction of Fortitude by Niccolò Pisano in comparison with the "Diadumen" - an ancient sculpture, probably created by Polykleitos, its marble version. One can see in what Niccolo Pisano clearly imitated antique sculpture that existed centuries before. What elements did he copy, how did it influence his work? The resemblance is striking. They both stand in contraposta. Yes. They look very relaxed and natural in their poses. A lot of attention is paid human anatomy, the muscles of the body, a kind of naturalism of the body. Yes. The body is somewhat twisted, looking in different directions. The hips are turned. Shoulders are turned. There is naturalism in this attention to the muscles, to the position of the body. And note: the sculpture of Niccolo Pisano, although connected to the pulpit, in fact it exists separately. The feeling that he can step off the pulpit. Exactly. We see here an ancient-looking figure, and the theme is also characteristic of antiquity, because Hercules is really depicted here. This is very important, because throughout the Middle Ages, up to this very moment, one can sometimes find figures in which the influence of antiquity is sometimes guessed. But usually they are very different in meaning from any ancient meaning. This is one of the first examples of some kind of reunion in this period. antique form with an antique meaning, although it is ultimately a depiction of Christian virtue on a very Christian object inside an extremely Christian building. Here we see a growing interest, a kind of influence and the rediscovery of ancient classics in different forms. Right. In confirmation, let's compare some Gothic sculpture with antique. Here are examples of sculptural Gothic. From the western entrance to Chartres Cathedral, which was founded in the middle of the 12th century, about the same time that the baptistery in Pisa was being built, when these sculptures were made; a little before the creation of the pulpit by Niccolò Pisano. And far from here, in Paris. Yes, far away. We will show different schools of sculpture that existed at about the same time. You may know that Gothic is characterized by very static, elongated, stylized figures, deliberately far from any naturalism, with repeated folds of fabrics, with faces without personality, with the same gestures. These are figures that do not exist separately from the background. Their proportions and appearance dictated by the gothic construction they adorn. Look at their feet. They just can't stand. It's not like they're standing on anything, that they're interacting with the world around them with any degree of authenticity. Not a counterpost. Not a counterpost. Compared to the figure of Niccolo Pisano, this is a different era. It can be seen how decisively he departs from a similar Gothic tradition and from other traditions of the medieval Romanesque style. Let's look at upper part chairs, you can see our friend. Resilience right here. These reliefs, as we said, represent scenes or moments of the life and death of Christ. For example, in this scene above and to the right of Fortitude, the Gifts of the Magi are shown, three kings who came to bow to the newborn Christ and the Virgin Mary, here she is sitting in a chair. Here we see an ancient aesthetic, a departure from the Romanesque and Gothic styles, which are also visible in these reliefs. Undoubtedly. Monumental, heavy figures... Large folds of fabrics. Very heavy, somewhat naturalistic folds of fabrics that create ... Differ from the lines of draperies in Gothic. There are some repetitions. There is also some styling. But you can see that this is definitely a departure from these styles under the strong influence of the ancient classics. This is not surprising for the Pisans who used this object, saw it when it was first created. Why? Because this city has a very rich ancient heritage. Pisa was founded by the ancient Romans. The medieval Pisans knew this. The legacy of this ancient classic surrounded them everywhere you looked. They were surrounded by many examples of ancient sculpture. One example is the sarcophagus, a carved coffin that was then and still is in Pisa. There were a lot of such fragments and objects, some of them were even included in the medieval walls and buildings of the city, and the feeling that the ancient classics create the texture and character of Pisa was very clear. But it was almost not noticed for a long time, and now it is being rediscovered. Now they felt that they could reconnect with this ancient heritage and history. This particular sarcophagus, especially in connection with the reliefs we have just looked at, is important because the figures here are quite large. They occupy the walls of the sarcophagus to the full height, just like the later reliefs of Niccolò Pisano. This nude standing athlete is very, very similar to the Fortitude figure, so this figure may have influenced the creation of that one. We see a seated woman who, although seated, occupies the entire height of the relief, just like the Virgin Mary in the Gift of the Magi we have just looked at. Maybe it was this example that Niccolo Pisano was guided by. It is very close - in the Camposanto cemetery, just a few meters from the Baptistery. Here we see the real influence of antiquity. The surname Niccolo Pisano means "Pisan", but he is not actually from Pisa. He is probably from the south of Italy, perhaps associated with the court of the Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick II, who was interested in antiquity and patronized its revival. Perhaps the artist, under the influence of this fact of his biography, comes to Pisa, sees a city with a rich ancient heritage, people open to such connections of times, and new forms flourish on this soil. Logically. Niccolo had a son, his name was Giovanni. They worked together on a number of projects. Around 1300, Giovanni Pisano opens his own workshop and works on his projects. Here is one of them. This is a pulpit from the church of Sant'Andrea in Pistoia, created in 1301. Its author is Giovanni Pisano. Essentially the structure is the same. There are colored marble columns with capitals, allegorical figures on the capitals under the reliefs that form the low walls of the pulpit. One difference immediately catches the eye: in the corners between the reliefs, instead of small columns, there are figures. This creates a sense of greater unity and connection between the individual reliefs, here they are not separated so clearly by these frames, as we saw in the work of his father, forty years earlier. There we saw columns in these places. I want to draw attention to one detail of this pulpit: the relief that we see at the top - "Massacre of the Innocents". Here is an episode from the New Testament, when Herod ordered to kill all the newborn boys in Bethlehem, after he learned about the birth of Christ. What is it new person, which will bring great changes that Herod does not need and he orders to commit this murder. And here we see this very emotionally heavy scene where the Roman soldiers kill the children. And mothers. Their mothers, as we see here, try to protect them or mourn their dead bodies. Or avert their eyes. They avert their eyes and run away. Soldiers with knives in their hands, cutting babies. Women covering their faces. Here Herod gives the order. In some respects, Giovanni Pisano's sculptures continue the work of his father. There is this naturalism, the origin of which we saw earlier. There is classicism, especially in some other elements of the pulpit. But what more clearly distinguishes the sculptures of Giovanni Pisano from the beginning of the 14th century is, of course, the growing interest in the transmission of emotions. This is a lively, somewhat expressionistic depiction of the feelings that this terrible scene that we are looking at evokes. She captivates the viewer. Through their gestures, their facial expressions. Exactly. This is the main tool for him and other artists of the period: the use of gestures and facial expressions to tell a story in the most expressive way. Of course, this is another sign of a departure from the Middle Ages, from those expressionless gothic faces. Especially in terms of combining such expressions, such emotions with naturalism. Because in gothic art sometimes you can find something very scary and furious, but at the same time very stylized. Here we see a kind of naturalistic image, that is, naturalistic from the standpoint of physical form, from the point of view of psychological expressiveness. Interestingly, this happens in the early years of the 14th century, at the same time that Giotto does exactly the same thing in his paintings. Subtitles by the Amara.org community

Biography

Giovanni Pisano was born in Pisa around 1245. In 1265-78. Giovanni worked with his father, and with his participation, a pulpit was created for the city cathedral in Siena, as well as the Fonte Maggiore fountain in Perugia. The first independent work of Pisano is a sculptural decoration of the facade of the Pisa Baptistery (1278-84). First time in Tuscany monumental sculpture was organically incorporated into the architectural design. The extraordinary liveliness of the Pisan sculptural images is the opposite of the calm serenity of his father's sculptures. Around 1270-1276 Pisano visited France. In most of his works, the influence of French Gothic is noticeable.

In 1285, Giovanni arrived in Siena, where from 1287 to 1296. served as chief architect of the cathedral. Full dynamics and drama figures sculptural composition The facades of the cathedral testify to the significant influence of French Gothic plastics on Pisano. Of all the Gothic Italian facades, the Siena Cathedral has the most luxurious sculptural decoration. Later, he served as a model for the decoration of the Gothic cathedrals of Central Italy. In 1299, Giovanni returned to Pisa, where he worked as an architect and sculptor in the construction of church buildings.

One of greatest achievements Giovanni Pisano considered the pulpit for the church of Sant'Andrea in Pistoia (1297-1301). The theme of the reliefs decorating the pulpit is also similar to that of Pisa. However, the faces of the characters are more expressive, their postures and gestures are more dramatic. The scenes "Crucifixion" and "Massacre of the Innocents" are especially expressive. Giovanni Pisano is the author of numerous statues of Madonnas, prophets and saints. Most famous sculpture The Madonna is in the altar of the Scrovegni Chapel (chapel del Arena) in Padua (c. 1305).

From 1302 to 1320 Giovanni Pisano worked on a pulpit destined for the Pisa Cathedral. After a fire in 1599, the pulpit was dismantled (during repairs) and restored only in 1926. The remaining “extra” fragments are kept in several museums around the world. In 1313, Giovanni began work on the gravestone of Empress Margaret of Luxembourg in Genoa (not finished). The last mention of Giovanni Pisano dates back to 1314, it is believed that he died shortly thereafter.

Niccolò (Nicola) Pisano Earlier than in architecture and painting, new artistic searches were outlined in sculpture, and above all in the Pisan school, the founder of which was Niccolò Pisano (circa 1220 - between 1278 and 1284). He was born in the south, in Puglia, but, while working in Pisa, he became so close to the city that he received the nickname Pisano, with which he entered the history of Italian art.

Pisano's early period. Roman tradition Niccolò Pisano spent the initial period of his activity in southern Italy, at the court of Emperor Frederick II of Hohenstaufen. It was there that he came into contact with the Roman tradition, which was imitated by the Apulian court masters. The earliest of Niccolo's works known to us, performed by him already in Pisa, where he founded his school, dates back to 1200 and testifies to the master's acquaintance with samples of the late Roman antique relief. The pulpit of the Pisa Baptistery is a monument of great importance in the development of Italian sculpture.

The Baptistery of Pisa. 1260 In 1260, Pisano completed in the baptistery of the Pisa Cathedral a marble pulpit covered with plot reliefs. It is a separate, independent building. Due to the crowding of relief figures, sculptural elements are hardly separated from architectural ones. The tribune of the pulpit is a hexagon, supported from below by six columns, of which three stand on the backs of lions, while the seventh, supporting the middle of the rostrum, is on a group of three human figures (a heretic, a sinner and an unbaptized), a vulture, a dog and a lion, holding between the front paws of a ram and a bull's head and an owl.

The Baptistery of Pisa. 1260. The capitals of the corner columns are interconnected by arches. Prophets and evangelists are carved on the corner fields formed by these arches, while allegorical figures of the six virtues are placed on the capitals themselves. The sides of the tribune are decorated with five reliefs depicting: the Annunciation, the Nativity of Christ, the Adoration of the Magi, the Bringing of the Infant Christ into the temple. crucifix and Last Judgment.

The Baptistery of Pisa opened a new era in the history of Italian and Western European sculpture. Pulpits like these, on which priests climbed stairs to deliver a sermon, were very common in Italian churches since the Middle Ages, and were a characteristic detail of church interiors. Sometimes they looked like balconies that adorned one of the walls, but for the most part they looked like separate structures resting on stone pillars, usually rectangular in shape. Italian pulpits were richly decorated with sculpture. On the balustrades were placed reliefs on scenes from the history of Christ, between which were placed the figures of the predecessors of Christianity - the Old Testament prophets and sibyls, and the figures of animals or crouched men - a symbol of defeated vices and evil - served as the foot for the supporting columns. This ancient symbolism, which is based on the idea of ​​the atoning sacrifice of Christ, is also preserved in the pulpit of Niccolò Pisano. And at the same time, his reliefs produce a completely different impression than the work of his predecessors. In the reliefs of Niccolo Pisano, first of all, their earthly, secular character is striking. It seems that not the miracles of the gospel legend are presented here, but earthly events in which actors are Roman patricians and matrons.

Reliefs of the department. Plots It is not immediately possible to make out what is depicted on the reliefs, since Pisano, following medieval tradition, combined several plots in one composition. In the left corner, he depicted the Annunciation, in the central part - the Nativity of Christ: Mary rises on the couch, two maids wash the baby, and Saint Joseph is shown sitting at the bottom left. At first it may seem that a flock of sheep is approaching this group, but in fact it refers to the third episode - the Adoration of the Shepherds, where again you can see the baby Christ, this time lying in a manger.

Reliefs of the department. Allegorism The whole composition is based on an ideal hierarchy, the dominance of spiritual forces - allegories of virtues and prophets, above pagan symbols and natural forces - lions, from where a direct path leads to divine revelation, identified with the earthly life of Christ and ultimately leading to the Last Judgment. In the course of the development of this thought, each image acquires a complex meaning.

Allegory of Strength. Relief of the pulpit of the Baptistery in Pisa. 1260. Marble. The shade of spiritual illumination determines the appearance of the allegorical figures standing in the corners of the three-bladed arches, including the most famous of them - the allegory of the Force, appearing in the guise of a naked Hercules.

Allegory of Love. Relief of the pulpit of the Baptistery in Pisa. Despite the fact that in these reliefs the varieties characteristic of Byzantine art, the general consistency and the nature of the demanding bas-relief style speak of the commemoration of the revival of the plastics of antiquity.

Baptistery (Baptistery) in Pisa Between 1260 and 1264 he completed the dome of the Baptistery in Pisa, which had been started by the architect Diotisalvi. Pisano increased the height of the baptistery and crowned it with a system of two domes: on top of a hemispherical dome he placed a small one in the shape of a truncated cone.

Baptistery in Pisa. Reliefs The facade of the baptistery was decorated with sculptures by Niccolò's son Giovanni Pisano in 1277-1284.

Peculiarities creative manner Niccolò Pisano The classical manner, which manifested itself in this work, does not disappear, but appears in other works by Pisano, but in a softer form. An example is the relief of the sarcophagus of St. Dominica (Church C. Domenico, Bologna) and the pulpit of the Siena Cathedral, executed in 1266 with the participation of his son Giovanni. Common motifs can be traced with the pulpit of the Pisan baptist, but there are also differences, consisting in more the luxury of ornamentation, and two more scenes from the life of the Savior are added: “The Flight into Egypt” and “The Massacre of the Innocents”. The realism of the execution of pathos and movement is characterized by the works of the sculptor. The main merit of Pisano is that he abandoned the Byzantine trend in architecture in favor of antiquity.

Features of the creative manner of Niccolo Pisano Perhaps in his youth, Niccolo Pisano was influenced by the classicizing late Romanesque art of Southern Italy. In any case, the influence of antiquity is noticeable in his works, especially in the early period of creativity. But unlike his southern Italian predecessors, Niccolo not only imitates ancient monuments, using individual techniques of ancient masters. The significance of his art lies in the fact that he departs from medieval asceticism, introduces features of sensual earthly beauty into the image, gives materiality and corporality to forms. Marked with the stamp of a bright creative individuality, his works stand out sharply against the background of the late Romanesque plastics of Italy. Niccolò Pisano worked in Pisa (1260), Siena (1265–1268), Perugia (1278).

The pulpit of the cathedral in Siena From 1265 to 1269 Niccolo Pisano created a similar, but bigger size octagonal pulpit for Siena Cathedral with the help of his son Giovanni Pisano and Arnoldo's student Donato di Cambio. The reliefs of this pulpit contain large quantity figures whose movements seem more excited and expressive. There is a strong influence of French Gothic art here; the artist probably visited France. Here the influence of antiquity is largely superseded by the influence of the Gothic. This evolution of the artist is natural, but his reform turned out to be premature, his undertakings did not have a direct continuation in Italian sculpture.

Giovanni Pisano (circa 1245 -1250 - after 1314), sculptor and architect, son and student of Niccolo Pisano, apparently worked in France around 1270 -1276, was influenced by French Gothic plastic. The sculptural works of Giovanni Pisano (statues on the facade of the Siena Cathedral, 1284-1299, the pulpit of the church of Sant'Andrea in Pistoia, completed in 1301), imbued with passionate emotional tension, are characterized by a combination of proto-Renaissance plastic searches with Gothic broken contours. His architectural creativity(the lower part of the facade of the Siena Cathedral, 1284 -1299) developed in line with the Gothic.

Apocalyptic Christ (Christ at the Last Judgment) Relief of the pulpit of the cathedral in Siena. 1265-68. Marble. Duomo, Siena

Tomb of St. Dominic. Bologna In the same years, together with Fra Guglielmo, Niccolò Pisano created the tomb of St. Dominica for the church of the same name in Bologna (1264 -1267).

Basilica of San Domenico In 1264, Niccolò commissioned an reliquary for the relics of Saint Dominic in the Basilica of San Domenico in Bologna. Pisano certainly designed the design for the ark, but Niccolò's contribution to translating the design into material was probably minimal.

Cancer of St. Dominic. N. Pisano Niccolò dell "Arca. Pieta (Arca di San Domenico)

Fountain Maggiore - Perugia, Umbria. Niccolo and Giovanni Pisano The last work of the master Niccolo was the fountain for decorating the cathedral square in Perugia (1278), in the creation of which his son Giovanni also participated. The great Pisano died around 1280. His main merit is the rejection of the Byzantine tradition in favor of the revival of the plastics of the ancient style.

Chair of Sant'Andrea in Pistoia. J. Pisano. 1301-11. One of the greatest achievements of the son of the famous Father Giovanni Pisano is the pulpit for the Church of Sant. Andrea in Pistoia (1297-1301). The theme of the reliefs decorating the pulpit is also similar to that of Pisa. However, the faces of the characters are more expressive, their postures and gestures are more dramatic. The scenes "Crucifixion" and "Massacre of the Innocents" are especially expressive. Giovanni Pisano is the author of numerous statues of Madonnas, prophets and saints. The most famous sculpture of the Madonna is in the altar of the Scrovegni Chapel (chapel del Arena) in Padua (c. 1305).

Chair of Sant'Andrea in Pistoia. reliefs. G. Pisano Isaiah (detail). 1285-97. Marble. Museum of the Opera del Duomo, Siena Maria Mois (Miriam). 1285-97. Marble. Museum of the Opera del Duomo, Siena Plato. AR. 1280. Stone. Duomo, Siena Sibyla. 1285-95. Marble. Museum of the Opera del Duomo, Siena Aggaea. 1285-95. Marble, height: 61 cm. Duomo, Siena

Madonna. G. Pisano Giovanni Pisano is the author of numerous statues of Madonnas, prophets and saints. His sculptures are characterized by sharp turns, angular outlines. Following the French masters, he turned to the image of the Madonna with the Child in her arms, the most famous of which is in the altar of the Scrovegni Chapel (chapel del Arena) in Padua (c. 1305).

Sculptures of the Madonna. Giovanni Pisano From left to right: Madonna and child. 1305-06. Marble, height: 129 cm. Scrovegni Chapel (Arena Chapel), Padua Madonna and Child. AR. 1299. Cat. Treasury, Duomo, Pisa Madonna and Child. AR. 1280. Marble. Camposanto, Pisa

Last work J. Pisano In 1313, Giovanni began work on the gravestone of Empress Margaret of Luxembourg in Genoa (not finished).

Contribution to the era of the Proto-Renaissance The son and student of Niccolo Pisano, one of the leaders of the Proto-Renaissance, Giovanni Pisano became a much more famous sculptor than his father. Giovanni Pisano's style is more free and dynamic, he shows figures in motion and uses various means of dramatization, his sculptures are characterized by sharp turns and angular outlines. Emotionality, inexhaustible fantasy, passion of the works of Giovanni Pisano cannot be explained only by imitation of beautiful examples. These qualities testify to his rich, ardent nature, to the peculiarities of his worldview. The work of Giovanni Pisano is a rare example of art that was ahead of its time and stretched threads into the future. It is no coincidence that his searches are similar to the experiments of the famous sculptor Michelangelo.

Giovanni Pisano was born in Pisa between 1245 and 1250 gg. A son Niccolo Pisano, his student and assistant, became a much more famous sculptor than his famous father.
In 1265-78. Giovanni worked with his father, in particular, with his direct participation, a pulpit was created for the city cathedral in Siena, as well as the Fonte Maggiore fountain in Perugia.

The first independent work of Giovanni is the sculptural decoration of the facade of the Pisa Baptistery, on which he worked in 1278-84. For the first time in Tuscany, monumental sculpture was organically incorporated into architectural design. The extraordinary liveliness of the Pisan sculptural images is the complete opposite of the calm serenity of the characters of Niccolò Pisano.
In 1285, Giovanni moved to live in Siena, where from 1287 to 1296. served as chief architect of the cathedral. Full of dynamics and sharp drama, the figures of the sculptural composition of the facade of the cathedral ( "Miriam") testify to the significant influence of French Gothic plastic on the art of Giovanni Pisano (it is assumed that between 1268 and 1278 the sculptor visited France). Of all the Gothic Italian facades, the Siena Cathedral has the most luxurious sculptural decoration ( "Plato", "Isaiah"). In the future, it was he who served as a model for the decoration of the Gothic temples of Central Italy.

Miriam. Giovanni Pisano 1285-97

Plato. Giovanni Pisano. About 1280

Isaiah. Giovanni Pisano. 1285-97

Moses. Giovanni Pisano . 1285-97

In 1299., after the work in Siena was completed, Giovanni returned to Pisa, where he worked as an architect and sculptor on the construction of church buildings.

One of the greatest achievements of the work of Giovanni Pisano - pulpit for the church of Sant'Andrea in Pistoia (1297-1301 ). In this creation of the master, the influence of French Gothic plastic was especially pronounced. Sant'Andrea is a small church in Romanesque style; perhaps that is why the sculptor chose the shape of a hexagon - the same shape his father chose forty years ago for the pulpit of the Pisa Baptistery. The theme of the reliefs decorating the pulpit is also similar to that of Pisa. However, Giovanni's style is distinguished by greater freedom and ease, greater dynamics; his images are imbued with passionate emotional intensity and spiritual strength. The faces of the characters are expressive, the poses and gestures are full of drama. The scenes "Crucifixion" and "Massacre of the Innocents" are especially expressive. In the latter, emotionality and drama reach their climax. People, animals, draperies, landscape elements - everything is mixed up in some bizarre, unusual configurations. Such a frank "violence" of movements and feelings is no longer in the subsequent works of the master.

Pulpit of the Church of Sant'Andrea in Pistoia. Giovanni Pisano. 1301

Massacre of the innocents. Relief of the pulpit of the Church of Sant'Andrea in Pistoia. Giovanni Pisano. 1301

Giovanni Pisano is the author of numerous statues of Madonnas, prophets and saints. His sculptures are characterized by sharp turns, angular outlines. Following the French masters, he turned to the image of the Madonna with the Child in her arms, the most famous of which is in the altar of the Scrovegni Chapel (chapel del Arena) in Padua (c. 1305).

Madonna with Child. Scrovegni Chapel (Capella del Arena), Padua. Pisano Giovanni. 1305-06

From 1302 to 1320 gg. Giovanni Pisano worked on a pulpit destined for the Pisa Cathedral. After a fire in 1599, the pulpit was dismantled (during repairs), but it was rebuilt only in 1926. The reconstruction is considered not very successful. The remaining "extra" fragments are stored in several museums around the world. In this work, the master largely returns to classical motifs, the influence of French Gothic is noticeably weaker here (“Fortitude and Prudence”, “Hercules”).
In 1313, Giovanni began work on the gravestone of Empress Margaret of Luxembourg in Genoa (not finished).

Fragments of the gravestone of Margaret of Luxembourg. Giovanni Pisano. Marble. 1313

The last mention of Giovanni Pisano refers to 1314.; he is believed to have died shortly thereafter.

1. * Mariam(Hebrew מירים‎, Miriam; in the Septuagint Μαριάμ, in the Vulgate Maria) - the daughter of Amram and Jochebed - Miriam the prophetess, the elder sister of Aaron and Moses.

Giovanni Pisano

A student and assistant of Niccolo Pisano, he, like his father, was a sculptor and architect, an original representative of Italian Gothic. He was born around 1245. creative way began in Siena, where he took part in the work on the cathedra commissioned by Niccolò for the cathedral (1265-1268).

Later, he helped him in creating the reliefs of the fountain in Perugia (1278), where already in the style of Giovanni there is a departure from his father's classicism to more intense and complex forms for the sake of dramatic transmission of human feelings. It is generally accepted that the emotionality of the images of Giovanni is due to the influence of French Gothic sculpture. Relief of the pulpit of Sant'Andrea in Pistoia. From 1284 to 1296, he worked on the design of the facade of the Siena Cathedral, from perspective portals to numerous statues - the first independent work. In 1297, documents record his stay in Pisa as the chief master of the cathedral. From 1298 to 1301 Giovanni was working on a commission from Pistoia - a pulpit for the church of Sant'Andrea. A little later, the Madonna of the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua appeared, where the views of Our Lady and Christ turned to each other are filled with deep emotionality. From 1302 to 1310 Giovanni was engaged in the new pulpit of the cathedral in Pisa. His last work was the statue of the Madonna and Child in the Chapel of the Holy Belt of the Cathedral in Prato (Madonna dalla cintola, 1317), where the theme of the silent dialogue between the Virgin Mary and Christ again sounds. Shortly after the completion of this work, Giovanni Pisano died.

Fresco in the Church of San Domenico Cimabue in Arezzo. The Florentine school of painting begins with the work of the artist Cenny di Pepo, nicknamed Cimabue. He was born ca. 1240 in Florence and died in Pisa c. 1302. It was formed in line with the Byzantine tradition and the principles embodied in the mosaics of the Florentine Baptistery of San Giovanni.

The very first of his famous works-- The Crucifixion of the Church of San Domenico in Arezzo (c.1268-1271), where a tense expression of a new dramatic sense is already felt. A few years later he completed the altarpiece of Our Lady (Madonna in maesta, Uffizi, Florence). In 1280-1283. Cimabue takes part in the murals of the Upper Church of the Basilica of San Francesco in Assisi: these are the Evangelists on the vault of the cross, the History of Our Lady in the choir, the scenes of the Apocalypse, the Last Judgment and the Crucifixion in the left arm of the transept, the History of St. Peter in the right. These frescoes show a powerful sense of space and dramatic vision. This trend is continued by the Crucifixion (c.1278-1288, Santa Croce Museum, Florence): the use of more nuanced chiaroscuro adds a touch of heightening the emotional characterization. Most likely, in the same period, the Maesta was created in the Lower Church of the Basilica in Assisi, where St. Francis is depicted in front of the Mother of God. Latest works masters - Madonna (Louvre, Paris), mosaic of St. John the Evangelist (1302, Cathedral in Pisa) - the influence of new forms of Pisan sculpture is tangible.

Duccio di Buoninsegna

Duccio was born and died in Siena (c. 1255-c. 1318). He was a prominent representative of Sienese painting at the turn of Ducento and Trecento. The sophisticated, musical sense of color achieved by him, which is in a harmonious ensemble with linear rhythms, marks the formation of refined Sienese painting of the 14th century. There are exact dates for only two works: in 1285 he completed a painting identified with the Rucellai Madonna and has long been attributed to Duccio; in 1308, a large two-sided altarpiece of the Maesta was ordered for the Siena Cathedral, completed in 1311. On one side, the Madonna is depicted enthroned, surrounded by angels and saints; on the back, in 26 scenes, Passion Story. In addition, the artist is credited with the Madonna di Crevole (c. 1283-1284, Cathedral Museum, Siena) and the tiny Madonna of the Franciscans (c. 1300, National Pinacothek, Siena).

Giovanni Pisano was born in Pisa between 1245 and 1250. A student and assistant of Niccolò Pisano, he became a much more famous sculptor than his famous father. Almost the same age as Giotto, Giovanni Pisano was the exact opposite of the wise restraint of his Florentine contemporary.

In 1265-78. Giovanni worked with his father, in particular, with his direct participation, a pulpit was created for the city cathedral in Siena, as well as the Fonte Maggiore fountain in Perugia.

The first independent work of Giovanni is the sculptural decoration of the facade of the Pisa Baptistery, on which he worked in 1278-84. For the first time in Tuscany, monumental sculpture was organically incorporated into architectural design. The extraordinary liveliness of the Pisan sculptural images is the complete opposite of the calm serenity of the characters of Niccolò Pisano.

In 1285, Giovanni moved to live in Siena, where from 1287 to 1296. served as chief architect of the cathedral. Full of dynamics and sharp drama, the figures of the sculptural composition of the facade of the cathedral (“Miriam”) testify to the significant influence of French Gothic plastic on the art of G. Pisano (it is assumed that between 1268 and 1278 the sculptor visited France). Of all the Gothic Italian facades, the Siena Cathedral has the most luxurious sculptural decoration (“Plato”, “Isaiah”). In the future, it was he who served as a model for the decoration of the Gothic temples of Central Italy.

In 1299, after the work in Siena was completed, Giovanni returned to Pisa, where he worked as an architect and sculptor on the construction of church buildings.

Giovanni Pisano. The lower part of the facade of the Cathedral in Siena. 1284-99.

One of the greatest achievements of Giovanni Pisano's work is the pulpit for the church of Sant'Andrea in Pistoia (1297-1301). In this creation of the master, the influence of French Gothic plastic was especially pronounced. Sant'Andrea - a small Romanesque church; perhaps that is why the sculptor chose the shape of a hexagon - the same shape his father chose forty years ago for the pulpit of the Pisa Baptistery. The theme of the reliefs decorating the pulpit is also similar to that of Pisa.

Giovanni Pisano. Pulpit of the Church of Sant'Andrea in Pistoia. Marble. Finished in 1301.

However, Giovanni's style is distinguished by greater freedom and ease, greater dynamics; his images are imbued with passionate emotional intensity and spiritual strength. The complex multi-figure reliefs are engulfed in jerky movement, as if they are trying to escape from the stone. The faces of the characters are expressive, the poses and gestures are full of drama. The scenes "Crucifixion" and "Massacre of the Innocents" are especially expressive. In the latter, emotionality and drama reach their climax. People, animals, draperies, landscape elements - everything is mixed up in some bizarre, unusual configurations. We will not find such a frank "violence" of movements and feelings in the subsequent works of the master.

Giovanni Pisano is the author of numerous statues of Madonnas, prophets and saints. His sculptures are characterized by sharp turns, angular outlines. Following the French masters, he turned to the image of the Madonna with the Child in her arms, the most famous of which is in the altar of the Scrovegni Chapel (chapel del Arena) in Padua (c. 1305). The Heavenly Queen is seized with a strong spiritual experience; her stern, almost stern face with a sharp, straight profile is turned towards the Savior, with whom she exchanges a long gaze.

Giovanni Pisano. Madonna. Padua, Arena Chapel. Early 14th century

From 1302 to 1320 Giovanni Pisano worked on a pulpit destined for the Pisa Cathedral. After a fire in 1599, the pulpit was dismantled (during repairs), but it was rebuilt only in 1926. The reconstruction is considered not very successful. The remaining "extra" fragments are stored in several museums around the world. In this work, the master largely returns to classical motifs, the influence of French Gothic is noticeably weaker here (“Fortitude and Prudence”, “Hercules”). In 1313, Giovanni began work on the gravestone of Empress Margaret of Luxembourg in Genoa (not finished).

Giovanni Pisano. Christmas. Relief of the pulpit of the Church of Sant'Andrea in Pistoia. Marble. 1301

The last mention of Giovanni Pisano refers to 1314; he is believed to have died shortly thereafter.

When compiling this material, we used:

1. Popular art encyclopedia. M.: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1986; Encyclopedia for children. T. 7. Art. Part 1 / Chapter. ed. M. D. Aksenova. - M.: Avanta +, 2003.
2. Lazarev V.N. Origins of the Italian Renaissance. - T. 1-2. - M., 1956-59; Argan J.K. History of Italian Art. - M., 2000; Danilova I.E. From the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. - M., 1975; Vasari J. Biographies of famous sculptors and architects: Pisano, Ghiberti and others / Per. with it. A. Venediktov, A. Gabrichevsky. - St. Petersburg: ABC Classics, 2006.
3. Online encyclopedia Around the world.