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THE TRECENTO: FOURTEENTH-CENTURY ITALIAN PAINTING (PROTO-RENAISSANCE)

  • Syllabus context (Week 1, Lecture 1): The Trecento: Fourteenth-Century Italian Painting; A 102—Renaissance Through Modern Art. Textbook reading: Art Through the Ages, pp. 424, 426-429, 431-432 (through Duccio).

  • Time frame and overarching idea:

    • Trecento = 1300s, the 14th century in Italy; Proto-Renaissance; transitional period between Early Medieval/Medieval traditions and Renaissance approaches to figure painting, space, and human-centered interpretation.
    • Proto-Renaissance: foundations for later Renaissance naturalism and humanism found in Italian city-states.

  • Major centers and artistic schools:

    • Sienese School (Duccio): emphasizes spiritual symbolism, decorative refinement, and majesty in sacred image-making.
    • Florentine School (Giotto): emphasizes naturalism, modeling, and the development of pictorial space as a means to convey narrative and emotion.
    • Map context: Italy ca. 1300-1360 was composed of city-states rather than a single nation-state, with Siena (Duccio) and Florence (Giotto) as key centers. 1300-1360 corresponds to the Trecento period in the region.

  • Key artworks (with basic technical details):

    • Duccio, Maestà Altarpiece, front panel detail, 1308-1311, tempera on wood, Siena, Italy (Sienese School). Key terms: Iconography; Maestà (majesty); Altarpiece; Tempera; Wood panel.
    • Giotto, Madonna and Child Enthroned, ca. 1310, tempera on wood, Florence, Italy (Florentine School). Key terms: Naturalism; Modeling; Pictorial space; Drapery.
    • Giotto, Arena (Scrovegni) Chapel, Entry into Jerusalem, 1305-1306, fresco painting, Padua, Italy. Key terms: Illusionistic space; Pictorial space; Fresco; Modeling; Naturalism.
    • St. Lawrence going to his Martyrdom, Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, ca. 450, Ravenna, Italy. Early Christian style. Key terms: Iconography; Pictorial space; Shading.
    • Early Christian and Byzantine references for contrast: Enthroned Madonna and Child, ca. 1200 (Byzantine, tempera on wood); St. Lawrence ca. 450 (Early Christian; Ravenna). Key terms: Shading; Drapery; Naturalism (partial, within canonical conventions).
    • Jean Pucelle, Arrest of Christ and Annunciation, 1325-28, French Gothic style (prayer book pages). Key terms: French Gothic style; Elongation; Tall forms; S-shaped composition.

  • Core terms and concepts (Glossary-style):

    • Iconography: symbolic content and subjects in works of art.
    • Pictorial space: the implied depth and arrangement of figures within a two-dimensional surface.
    • Shading: tonal variation to create volume.
    • Drapery: depiction of clothing and fabric that reveals form.
    • Naturalism: faithful representation of the observable world, including human anatomy and space.
    • Trecento: 2^ ext{nd} - 6^ ext{th} c. (approx.); 14th century; circa 1300s.
    • Proto-Renaissance: transitional phase with growing naturalism and human-centered concerns.
    • Maestà: “majesty”; title used for Duccio’s Maestà Altarpiece.
    • Altarpiece: artwork placed behind an altar.
    • Modeling: rendering of form to imply three-dimensionality.
    • Illusionistic space: convincing depth on a flat surface.
    • Tempera: painting medium using pigment mixed with egg (common on panel in Trecento).
    • Fresco: painting technique on freshly laid lime plaster.
    • Humanism: shift toward human-centered interpretation and secular/worldly concerns shaping Renaissance thought.

  • What is naturalism? (Context from pages):

    • Classical art (4th c. BC): Praxiteles, Hermes bearing the infant Dionysus (a reference point for idealized naturalism).
    • Early Christian Art; Byzantine Art: attempts at naturalism coexisted with stylized conventions; different regions emphasized different aspects (drapery, space, iconography).
    • Examples cited: Enthroned Madonna and Child (ca. 1200, Byzantine, tempera on poplar); St. Lawrence going to his Martyrdom (ca. 450, Ravenna, Early Christian).

  • Early Gothic and French Gothic context (as cross-reference):

    • Jean Pucelle (1325-28) shows French Gothic style features such as elongated forms, tall figures, and S-shaped compositions, illustrating how different regions developed distinct stylistic responses during the medieval period.

  • Geographic and chronological anchors:

    • Map context: Italy ca. 1300-1360 shows city-states (e.g., Siena, Florence, Padua).
    • Trecento (1300s) equals the 14th century; Proto-Renaissance era that precedes full Renaissance.
    • Key works span 1300-1310s to 1305-1306 (Arena Chapel) and 1308-1311 (Duccio Maestà).

  • Detailed comparisons and instructional prompts (Note-taking prompts embedded in slides):

    • Compare and contrast: Duccio's Maestà with Early Christian mosaic of St. Lawrence (details).
    • Compare and contrast: Duccio's Maestà with Byzantine Madonna and Child (details).
    • Compare and contrast: Duccio's Maestà with French Gothic Manuscript by Jean Pucelle (details).
    • Compare and contrast: Giotto and the Early Christian mosaic of St. Lawrence (detail).
    • Compare and contrast: Giotto and the Byzantine Madonna and Child.
    • Compare and contrast: Giotto (Florentine School) and Duccio (Sienese School) as Proto-Renaissance exemplars.
    • Compare and contrast: Duccio, Maestà Altarpiece (1308-1311) front panel and Giotto, Madonna and Child Enthroned (ca. 1310).
    • Compare and contrast: Arena Chapel’s Entry into Jerusalem (1305-06) vs Maestà’s Entry Into Jerusalem (1308-11).

  • In-depth gallery notes and visual analysis cues:

    • Duccio Maestà Altarpiece, Entry Into Jerusalem, 1308-11, Back Panel (detail): Tempera on wood.
    • Giotto, Arena Chapel, Entry into Jerusalem, 1305-06: Fresco painting; interior wall paintings; Padua.
    • Giotto, Arena Chapel, Lamentation, 1305-06: Fresco painting with a suggested foreground, middle-ground, and background arrangement.
    • Key visual concepts to observe in comparisons: pictorial space vs illusionistic space; drapery modeling; naturalism; and the way each artist uses space to guide narrative.

  • Thematic connections and implications:

    • Naturalism and human-centered representation begin to emerge in Giotto’s work, signaling a shift toward the Humanist-inflected concerns of the later Renaissance.
    • The Sienese emphasis on majesty and iconography contrasts with the Florentine focus on naturalistic space and modeling, yielding overlapping yet distinct pathways to the idea of Renaissance art.
    • The juxtaposition of tempera on wood (Duccio) vs fresco (Giotto) demonstrates material choices that influence the handling of space, color, and light.
    • The cross-regional comparisons (Duccio vs Byzantine vs French Gothic) illuminate how different medieval traditions contributed to a shared trajectory toward naturalism and human-centered representation.

  • Numerical and dating references (for quick reference):

    • 450 (St. Lawrence).
    • 1200 (Enthroned Madonna and Child, Byzantine, tempera on poplar panel).
    • 1305-1306 (Giotto, Arena Chapel, Entry into Jerusalem).
    • 1308-1311 (Duccio, Maestà Altarpiece, front panel).
    • 1310 (Giotto, Madonna and Child Enthroned).
    • Mix of approximate datings including ca. 1310 and ca. 1200; ca. 450; ca. 1255-1318/1319 (Duccio’s life).)
    • The Trecento context is 1300s = 14^ ext{th} ext{ c.}$$

  • Connections to broader themes in art history:

    • Pre-Renaissance to Renaissance transition characterized by shifts in space perception, naturalistic modeling, and human-centered storytelling.
    • The era lays groundwork for Humanism and the emphasis on the viewer’s experience of the work as a path to understanding religious narratives and doctrine.

  • Common visual analysis framework to apply when studying these works:

    • Identify iconography and subject matter (e.g., Maestà as majesty and intercession).
    • Assess pictorial space and depth cues: is space illusionistic or more symbolic?
    • Examine drapery and modeling: how fabric folds and light effects render volume.
    • Compare tempera vs fresco handling and how material affects luminosity and texture.
    • Note the cultural and regional stylistic traits (Sienese vs Florentine) and how they reflect broader philosophical orientations (mystical devotion vs human-centered realism).

  • Ethical/philosophical/practical implications discussed (inferred from slides):

    • The shift toward naturalism and human-centered imagery aligns with broader humanistic currents that reframe art as a vehicle for human experience and religious storytelling.
    • The Proto-Renaissance dialogue among regions reveals how artistic innovation can emerge from dialogue between tradition and experimentation.

  • Quick reference guide (for exam framing):

    • Key terms and their definitions (Iconography, Pictorial space, Illusionistic space, Modeling, Tempera, Fresco, etc.).
    • Distinctions between Trecento, Proto-Renaissance, and Renaissance.
    • Core works by Duccio (Maestà Altarpiece) and Giotto (Madonna and Child, Arena Chapel) as anchors for comparing Sienese vs Florentine approaches.
    • Common comparison prompts and how to structure a comparative analysis (e.g., compare subject matter, space depiction, treatment of drapery, and narrative clarity).

  • Note: Some slide text in the original sequence contains garbled characters or stray lines (e.g., “PATER SCHOEN…”). The substantive content to study comprises the artworks, terms, dates, stylistic contexts, and the compare/contrast prompts listed above.