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Giotto's Kiss Of Judas
Giotto's depiction of the Kiss of Judas, on the wall of the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, was painted in the early years of the fourteenth century -- it is a religious illustration, meant to gloss the moment in Christ's Passion depicted in three of the four synoptic Gospels (Matthew 26:47-50; Mark 14:43-45; Luke 22:47-48), wherein Judas Iscariot identifies Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, so that he may be arrested. Judas has decided to signal Christ's identity by kissing him warmly, and the "Judas kiss" has thus become extended as a kind of metaphor for the treacherous hypocrisy of a betrayer or an informant. The eye-catching central portion of the painting here depicts Judas, with his left arm extended and the scalloped folds of his bright orange cloak hanging down like a theatrical curtain: Judas' arm more or less eclipses most of Christ's body, so we see only Christ's head (with golden halo) staring Judas eye-to-eye in the kiss: a small portion of Christ's blue frock descends to the ground. Christ is bearded and seen in profile, with something of the...
The traditional flame-red hair of Judas in popular iconography seems to be displaced here onto the vivid orange of the cloak, which ranges from baby-carrot to candied-yam depending on how the light plays upon its folds. The arresting centurions are garbed in the red and gold of the Roman army; to the left of Christ we can see a further element of the Gethsemane drama depicted simultaneously, as Saint Peter draws a knife (in the biblical account, a sword) to cut the ear of a servant. Peter's sweeping right arm provides a sort of mirror image of Judas' left -- although the depiction is mediated with a third figure, hooded and cloaked, who also extends his arm left in the same way as Judas. The three figures with arms and capes extended surround Christ, whose halo peeks out above so that we are invited to focus specifically on his face (just as Judas does). The coloration on the folds of all the garments in the painting is one of the chief ways Giotto indicates depth here -- in addition to making the…
Art During Renaissance The Evolution of Art During the Renaissance The Renaissance period is defined as a cultural movement that spanned approximately from the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe (Brotton 2006, p. 6). This period in the history of art included the painting, decorative arts and sculpture of the period and for many was considered a
Giotto and Duccio The Arena Chapel (Scrovegni) of Giotto (1303) and Duccio's Maesta (1308) are both masterpieces of medieval European art. The Arena chapel contains the fresco cycle and is indicative of the movement towards a more humanistic view of religiosity, while the maestro is a large altarpiece that includes multiple images. Both have a similar subject but were constructed with divergent intentions and distinctive artistic styles. Giotto di Bondone was a
Here Mars is asleep and unarmed, while Venus is awake and alert. The meaning of the picture is that love conquers war, or love conquers all." (Cole, xx) the purpose of the work during the renaissance was mostly likely for a prominent individual's bedroom furniture or a piece of wainscoting. Some art connoisseurs have considered that the detailed wasps at upper right may have been a link to the popular
These remarks could be applied equally to anything in Giotto's oeuvre. The total effect of Giotto's work is one of bold religious feeling. It inspires the viewer to accept the mythology and challenges him to understand his relationship to the God both preached by the Church and challenged by heretics. Giotto's works, like Pisano's or Duccio's, certainly inspire religious feelings and thoughts. They are dignified, spiritual, and affirmative. They put
Nicola Pisano also depicts Christ's nativity on the Baptistry pulpit in Pisa. Unlike Giotto's nativity scene, Pisano's is a marble sculpture, and the different medium lends a different feel to the composition. In Pisano's nativity, the Virgin mother appears old, austere, and detached. She looks away from her infant child in a pose exactly opposite from that of Giotto's Mary who clings desperately to her fated infant. Pisano's Mary is
Human Figure in Art The Ognissanti Madonna by Giotto, from around 1310. Tempera on panel. Located at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. Giotto's work is relevant of the transition period between Cimabue's work in the 13th century, with profound Byzantine influences, including in the figures, and the Early Renaissance of the 14th century in Italy. Stokstad (2004) notes the influences of Cimabue in this work by Giotto, including in terms of