Humanism Giotto and the Trecento Period

Picture Analysis
The two works were likely completed after the Black Death, as they were both Florentine artists influenced by Giotto, who died at the end of the 14th century. The two works echo Giotto’s style in that there is a distinct rupture between the lifelike representations and the Byzantine style that had preceded them. Byzantine art tended to be more symbolic and less concerned with realism. Here, in each of these Florentine works, one sees a good degree of humanistic representation, which Giotto helped to usher in and that would come to roaring to the fore during the Renaissance.
Each of these works are religious in nature: the one is a triptych—three paneled painting featuring elements of the Gospel—such as the Incarnation and the death and crucifixion of Christ; the other one is Christ the King, flanked by angels. Both of these works would likely have been located in a church. The picture of Christ the King is painted on the ceiling of what is surely a church, and the triptych was likely painted for an altar whereon the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was offered by a Catholic priest. The intended viewing audience was likely other faithful Catholics. The viewer would have used these images to inspire his faith, prayer and devotion. The iconography of these works consists of the Blessed Virgin with the Christ Child—the crucifixion—and the Kingship of Christ. The choice of iconography relates to the time in which they were made, likely post-Black Death, in that the imagery is real: the subjects are realistically rendered to give them a tangible quality to help reinforce faith that these individuals actually did live.
What is noticed first about the works is that they are skillfully rendered, lifelike, and yet still highly stylized with traces of symbolic meaning and symmetry overall, which links them still to the Byzantine style. These works are indicative of their moments of creation in the trecento, which was moving from Byzantine style to humanism.