Although Giotto’s and Cimabue's ‘Virgin and Child Enthroned” share the same biblical subject of the Virgin Mary and the Christ child, they differ in a number of significant ways that reflect their respective embodiments of the Byzantine style in the early 13th century.
Upon first glance the paintings are strikingly alike. They share a long pentagon general shape, position of the baby Christ upon the lap of the Virgin Mary and the Virgin Mary upon her throne, and a gold background that make the setting appear to be in more divine location rather than on earth, but as we look towards the focal point we can pinpoint the most apparent difference - the portrayal of the Virgin Mary. Cimabue closely follows the traditional Byzantine iconography …show more content…
Giotto’s figures are weighty and are reminiscent of three-dimensional sculptures, giving her a much more realistic appearance. In opposition to Cimabue’s figure, Giotto creates a prominent rather than idealistic depiction of the Virgin.
When looking at the drapery of the fabric we can further see the disparity between the artist’s interpretation of the Italo-Byzantine style. In the Cimabue’s painting, her clothing is solely draped with lines, making her appear to be very thin and tall, which adds to her idealistic appearance. In opposition, Giotto uses folds of the garments outline the volume of the Virgins’ body, making her appear much curvier and thus more realistic. Another major difference is the angels and prophets in the background looking at the mother and child. The angels in Cimabue’s artwork were stacked on top of each other and were very similar in nature although they all look in different directions.The prophets located at the bottom of the painting, also do not look at the mother and child since they are under the throne. In Giotto’s work, the angels and prophets are all located on either side of the throne and are all looking at Virgin and child. Giotto’s placement of the people creates a clear viewpoint at Christ, unlike Cimabue’s, where the angels are looking all over the place and all have an idealized face, which creates multiple
Upon first glance the paintings are strikingly alike. They share a long pentagon general shape, position of the baby Christ upon the lap of the Virgin Mary and the Virgin Mary upon her throne, and a gold background that make the setting appear to be in more divine location rather than on earth, but as we look towards the focal point we can pinpoint the most apparent difference - the portrayal of the Virgin Mary. Cimabue closely follows the traditional Byzantine iconography …show more content…
Giotto’s figures are weighty and are reminiscent of three-dimensional sculptures, giving her a much more realistic appearance. In opposition to Cimabue’s figure, Giotto creates a prominent rather than idealistic depiction of the Virgin.
When looking at the drapery of the fabric we can further see the disparity between the artist’s interpretation of the Italo-Byzantine style. In the Cimabue’s painting, her clothing is solely draped with lines, making her appear to be very thin and tall, which adds to her idealistic appearance. In opposition, Giotto uses folds of the garments outline the volume of the Virgins’ body, making her appear much curvier and thus more realistic. Another major difference is the angels and prophets in the background looking at the mother and child. The angels in Cimabue’s artwork were stacked on top of each other and were very similar in nature although they all look in different directions.The prophets located at the bottom of the painting, also do not look at the mother and child since they are under the throne. In Giotto’s work, the angels and prophets are all located on either side of the throne and are all looking at Virgin and child. Giotto’s placement of the people creates a clear viewpoint at Christ, unlike Cimabue’s, where the angels are looking all over the place and all have an idealized face, which creates multiple