Remembering the genius of Renaissance artist Giotto

The brilliant 14th century painter Giotto di Bondone, who gave Padova its greatest work of art, died on 8 January in 1337 in Florence.

Giotto's depiction of the Last Judgment on the
frescoed walls of the Scrovegni Chapel in Padova

Although much of his work is no longer in existence, the artist who was known simply as Giotto is remembered after nearly 700 years as one of the greatest painters of the early Renaissance period.

It is believed Giotto was born in about 1267 in Florence but it is not known how he learned to paint with such a sense of space, naturalism and drama. His work represented a crucial turning point in the history of art because he painted lifelike, solid figures and put in fascinating background details.

He is believed to be the first artist to make a decisive break with the Byzantine style of painting and draw figures accurately from life.

Giotto’s revolutionary style was followed by many other painters later in the 14th century and it is said that he was actually paid a salary by the commune of Florence because of his excellence.

His most stunning surviving work is undoubtedly the interior of the Scrovegni chapel in Padova. His cycle of frescoes is still considered to be one of the greatest works of art in the world.

Dedicated to Santa Maria della Carita (Saint Mary of the Charity), the chapel was decorated by Giotto between 1303 and 1305. The work was commissioned by Enrico degli Scrovegni, who was hoping to atone for the sins of usury committed by himself and his dead father.

The frescoes narrate events in the lives of the Virgin Mary and Christ and cover the side walls of the chapel. On the wall opposite the altar is Giotto’s magnificent Universal Judgment, which tells the story of human salvation and includes the figure of Enrico degli Scrovegni offering up a model of the chapel to the Virgin Mary in a desperate bid to save his father from hell.

Under a bright blue sky, the realistic figures with their powerful facial expressions and colourful clothes tell the bible stories in a way they had never been told before.
In later life, Giotto was made ‘first court painter’, with a yearly pension by King Robert of Anjou in Naples. He lived in Naples till 1333 but none of his work there has survived.

On his return to Florence he was asked to design the new Campanile for the Cathedral in 1334 and his last known work was the decoration of a chapel in the Bargello.
It is thought Giotto was about 70 years of age when he died on 8 January 1337.

The Scrovegni Chapel in Parco della Arena

Some sources say he was buried in Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence’s Duomo, while others believe he was buried in the earlier church on the site, Santa Reparata.
In the 1970s bones were discovered beneath the paving of Santa Reparata and forensic examination confirmed they were those of a painter.

The bones were reburied with honour near the grave of Brunelleschi in the church, but it is still by no means certain they are actually the remains of Giotto.

It is a miracle Giotto’s frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel have survived for nearly 700 years. The chapel was acquired by the city of Padova in 1880 and specialised restoration operations have been carried out to preserve them subsequently.

The building, the quality of air and the best way to conserve the frescoes have all been carefully studied.

The chapel can be accessed from Giardini dell’Arena off Piazza Eremitani. There is a separate building where visitors can watch a video to prepare them for seeing the frescoes.

Visits are carefully organised so people can enter the chapel and look at the frescoes without jeopardising their condition.

Tickets should be booked in advance and collected an hour before the visit. For details visit www.cappelladegliscrovegni.it.

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Agli Eremitani Ristorante Pizzeria

Dine well at traditional restaurant and pizzeria in the heart of Padua

 

Tucked away under the porticos of Via Porciglia, the Agli Eremitani restaurant and pizzeria is handily placed for visitors to the Scrovegni Chapel, home to Giotto’s amazing frescoes, or the Eremitani museum complex.

Agli Eremitani is at Via Porciglia 29

The restaurant serves pizza and speciality dishes from the Veneto using local, seasonal ingredients. They also offer seafood from the nearby Adriatic and international dishes.

Diners have the choice of a secluded alcove in one of the smaller, wood-panelled rooms, a table in the large room with gardens on two sides or an outside table during the summer.

Agli Eremitani serve more than 100 different types of pizza. Their specialty dish is scialatelli ai crostacei (scialatelli with a sauce made from shellfish). The restaurant pride themselves on the range and quality of the wines they keep in their cantina.

Close to the University, Agli Eremitani frequently host lunches and dinners to celebrate le feste di laurea (degree celebrations).

Agli Eremitani is open from 12.00 to 15.00 and from 18.30 to 1.00 am every day except Monday.

For more information or to book a table visit www.eremitani.net.

Scrovegni Chapel houses one of world’s greatest masterpieces

Giotto's frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel are
notable for realistic figures and vivid colours

Padova’s reputation as a city of art is well and truly endorsed by Giotto’s amazing frescoes in la Cappella degli Scrovegni (the Scrovegni Chapel).

The frescoes are the only example of Giotto’s work in Padova, but are considered to be one of the greatest works of art in the world.

Dedicated to Santa Maria della Carita (Saint Mary of the Charity), the chapel was decorated with frescoes by Giotto between 1303 and 1305. He was commissioned to paint the frescoes by Enrico degli Scrovegni, who was hoping to atone for the sins of usury committed by himself and his dead father.

The frescoes narrate events in the lives of the Virgin Mary and Christ and the stunning scenes cover the side walls of the chapel. On the wall opposite the altar is Giotto’s magnificent Universal Judgment, which tells the story of human salvation and includes the figure of Enrico degli Scrovegni offering up a model of the chapel to the Virgin Mary in a desperate bid to save his father from hell.

Under a bright blue sky, the realistic figures with their powerful facial expressions and colourful clothes tell the compelling bible stories in a way that they had never been told before. The frescoes are universally acknowledged as a major artistic development, marking the beginning of modern art in Europe and the break with the Byzantine tradition.

Giotto was born in 1267 in Florence , where he learnt to paint with a sense of space, naturalism and drama. His revolutionary style was followed by many other painters in Padova later in the 14th century.

It is a miracle that these beautiful, colourful frescoes have survived as well as they have for the last 700 years.

The chapel was acquired by the city of Padova in 1880 and several specialised restoration operations have been carried out on them. Since the 1970s, the state of the building, the quality of air, polluting factors and the conservation of the frescoes themselves, have all been the subject of careful study.

The chapel can be accessed from Giardini dell’Arena off Piazza Eremitani, which is a short walk from the railway station along Corso del Popolo.

There is a special access building where visitors can wait and watch a video to prepare them for seeing the frescoes. The visits are carefully organised so that people can continue to enter the chapel and look at the frescoes without further jeopardising their condition.

Tickets for the Scrovegni Chapel should be booked in advance and collected one hour before the scheduled time for the visit.

For more information visit www.cappelladegliscrovegni.it

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