The Son

Initiating a return to visual realism, Giotto almost singlehandedly created the Renaissance style of painting. In Lamentation, one of the fresos in the Arena Chapel, we can see a sculptural solidity that had not been seen for more than 1,000 years. There is weight to the figures, bulk, and flesh; they are rooted to the ground by gravity. They are solid people on a solid earth... .

More importantly, Giotto tries to imagine how his characters felt. Real human emotion is being displayed as the Virgin Mary and Christ's followers mourn over the dead body of Jesus. The viewer can empathize with each person and understand what he or she is feeling because Giotto has created a unique pose and facial expression for each one of them. Even the ethereal angels experience human emotions of grief and anguish, each in their own way.

Painting and text copied. Copyright 1995 by Harcourt Brace and Company

Giotto, Lamentation, c. 1305. Fresco. Arena Chapel, Padula Italy

Lewis, Richard, and Susan I. Lewis, The Power of Art, Fort Worth: 1995