63. Arena (Scrovegni) Chapel, including Lamentation

 

Arena (Scrovengni) Chapel, including Lamentation
Padus, Italy. Unknown architect; Giotto di Bonde (artist). Chapel: c. 1303 C.E.; Fresco: c. 1305. Brick (architecture) and fresco

Giotto painted his artwork on the walls and ceiling of the Chapel using the fresco method in which water based colors are painted onto wet plaster. Painting onto wet plaster allows the paint to be infused into the plaster creating a very durable artwork. However, since the painter must stop when the plaster dries it requires the artist to work quickly and flawlessly

panorama of chapel  (facing the exit - Last Judgement scene)

The narrative when you face the altar wall. 

(Top register = Yoachim and Anna (Christ's Grandparents), Mary's life. Middle register = Life of Christ, miracles. Bottom register = Passion [including lamentation]. Bottom of chapel = virtues and vices. In between the scenes = Trompe l'oeil. Exit wall opposite the altar= Last Judgement)

Enrico Scrovegni giving the chapel to the three Marys (on the side of the blessed in the Last Judgement)

The Lamentation 

Form:

• Fresco
• this chapel is COMPLETELY covered in fresco
• ceiling included. 
• narrative scenes, flat figures
• trompe l'oeil (fools the eye)
• fake marble panels separate scenes. Whole thing is fresco
• Lapis Lazuli for the bright blues
• very expensive. 
• secco fresco
• dry fresco
• at the time, Enrico didn't want the Lapiz Lazuli's color to be diminished
• because of this method, it didnt stick to the wall as well, so some of the blue is diminished

Function:    

• Atone for the sin of usury
• bankers -> usurers
• Enrico Scrovegni paid for the chapel as a "good work" to try and guarantee a spot in heaven
• worried about afterlife, so paid for huge work of art
• his father was included in Dante's inferno, so he had good reason to be worried
• Private, devotional art

 Content:    

• 3 registers of narrative
• top: Yoakim and Anna (Christ's maternal grandparents) and birth and life of Mary
• middle: scenes of Christ's life (the miracles, etc)
• christ is moving forward in the scenes
• there is a rhythm to the scenes
• bottom: the Passion
• Wall Fresco: Last Judgement
• Enrico (the patron) is on the side of the blessed, giving the chapel to Mary
• The Lamentation
• part of the passion scenes
• transitionary work from Middle ages to Renaissance
• illusionism
• inserting architectural elements to give a more earthly setting
• not just the typical gold background from the normal Medieval
• this is a big deal. 
• humanism
• figures interacting with each other and connection in individual ways
• kissing, crying

THE LAMENTATION

• Christ being mourned by Mary and followers
• We see actual grief— BIG DEAL 
• medieval scenes usually had characters being divine and not that upset
• Here, we see Mary not holding the dead son of God who will rise again, but holding her own dead child who she believes she will never see again
• she is incredibly sad, and she is looking at his dead face in grief. Very real and humanist emotions
• she twists her body around him and hugs him and supports him on her knee
• each figure has their own personalized way of grieving
• some throw their arms out, some sob, some quietly pity Mary
• even the angels are mourning in individualized ways
• tearing at clothes and hair, in agony
• Composition
• all eyes lead to christ
• the hill is a straight line straight to christ
• two figures face away from us
• first of all, big deal to have figures with their back to us. very new for the medieval period (naturalism)
• also makes big space bubbles around christ, emphasizing him more
• they do the same thing we do: watch Mary and Christ
• add to illusion of space
• symbols
• dead tree— will grow again (analogy to Christ's resurrection)
• Mary Magdalene at Christ's feet w/ typical red hair (she anointed christ's feet so it's fitting)
• the mountain carries over into the next scene of the resurrection

Context:

• Painted by Giotto
• Called Arena Chapel because it's next to a Roman Arena
• Called Scrovegni Chapel because of the patrons the Scrovegni family
• next to the palace of the family
• private devotional art
• a good work to atone for the family's sin of Usury
• Enrico's attempt to get into heaven
• Why so groundbreaking? How is it a transitional work?
• This is one of the first works that shows divine figures acting in humanist ways
• the medieval style was figures that were not real looking, backgrounds were gold and basic, and the figures were unemotional. As divine as they could possibly be
• this chapel transitions us into the renaissance style of human looking and acting figures in the Renaissance
• figures are interacting with each other, which has basically not happened yet
• figures face each other
• they interact with each other— kissing, showing grief, Holding each other. This was a huge deal
• characters showing intimacy
• Characters not always frontal
• some in profile, some with their backs to us
• Foreshortening used
• 3D: the figures have weight to them, not floating like typical medieval
• architectural elements in some of the scenes
• pre linear perspective, but perspective is attempted
• we see Giotto's attempt at providing depth and backgrounds
• earthly settings for the divine scenes

Cross Cultural Connections

• Sistine Chapel