Duccio Di Buoninsegna’s Maesta analysis

Painters, for example, use painting as a medium to share their thoughts on a topic through photographs. Paintings can be very informative for people who appreciate painting, particularly if they have a link to the piece. Different forms and styles of art have evolved over time, and individuals like Duccio Di Buoninsegna remain some of the most well-known artists whose works have had an influence on their communities. The aim of this assignment is to discuss Duccio Di Buoninsegna's art, specifically his Sienese paintings, and its connection to Sienese culture. Duccio Di Buoninsegna ranks as one of the most influential Italian artists of his time. He was born between 1355 and 1360, in Siena, Tuscany. Duccio is mostly known for his works with pigment and egg tempera. He painted frequently the canvases on religious motifs, a common trend at the time. Duccio’s works have influenced many painters: Pietro Lorenzetti, Ambrogio Lorenzetti, and Simone Martini, just to mention a few. Recent critics believe that Duccio was a pupil or imitator of Cimabue, because of the similarities in Duccio’s Madonna Ruccelai and Cimabue’s alter piece. However, some critics argue that, although Cimabue’s works were among the components of Duccio’s style, it was not the predominant and even the earliest influence. It is possible that Cimabue’s influence on Duccio’s works was a late inclusion into Duccio’s personal style that had already grown within the framework of the now well evolved Sienese tradition. Together with Florence in the late middle ages and early Renaissance, Siena was the chief economic, political, and cultural centers of Tuscany. Between 1287 and 1355, the city of Siena allied itself with the papal party of the Guelph, which can help explain the gothic character of many Sienese paintings and architecture. Duccio is critically acclaimed to be the father of Sienese painting and one of the earlier advocates and founders of Western art. Through his paintings, he introduced a new style, a lyrical note and refined sense of the use of color into European paintings. His paintings could tell stories, making him one of the most revered narrative artists of his time. His paintings revealed his interest in space and the exploration of the human emotions. For example, the altarpiece Duccio did for the Cathedral of Siena, the Maesta, is quite enormous. The front shows the Madonna and Child surrounded by Saints and Angels while on the reverse he accommodated more than fifty scenes, depicting the life of Jesus, together with urban views, interior settings of inventions, and landscapes. The Maesta remains one of the most famous paintings of Duccio. In 1308 the city of Siena commissioned the painter to come up with a panel for the Cathedral’s high altar. The painting had the front and the reverse, with both sides consisting of the crowning panels, the central panel, and the Predella. On the front, there are seven crowning panels depicting different events surrounding Virgin Mary. The events include the announcement of the Virgins death, parting from St. John, parting from the Apostles, assumptions of the Virgin, the coronation of the Virgin, the death of the Virgin, funeral procession, and the Entombment of the Virgin. The central panel portrayed the mother of Christ with the Christ child, amidst angels and Saints. The front Predella consists of thirteen paintings, devoted to the childhood of Jesus Christ, with portraits of different prophets separating individual scenes. The pictures include the Annunciation, Prophet Isiah, the birth of Jesus, Prophet Ezekiel, the adoration of the Magi, Prophet Solomon, presentation at the temple, Prophet Malachi, Massacre Of The Innocents, Prophet Jeremiah, the Journey into Egypt, Prophet Hosea, and Christ Dispute with the Scribes. The paintings on the reverse side were for the lay in the cathedral as they were able to get closer to the panel than other faithful accommodated in the main body of the church. The crowning panels on the reverse side depict various scenes after the resurrection of Christ. They include the appearance of Christ to the Apostles behind closed doors, doubting St. Thomas, the appearance of Christ on Lake Tiberius, ascension of Christ, Christ in glory, the appearance of Christ on the mountain, the appearance of Christ to the Apostles, the descent of the Holy Spirit. The central section contains twenty-six scenes from the Passion of Christ. The section contains stories from and events from all the four Gospels in the Bible. The series include Christ’s entry into Jerusalem, washing of the feet, last supper, Christ taking leave of his Apostles, betrayal by Judas, prayer at Mount Olives, seizing of Jesus, Jesus before Annas, St. Peter’s denial of Jesus, Jesus before Caiaphas, mocking of Jesus, the Pharisees accusing Jesus, Jesus before Pontius Pilate, Jesus before King Herod, Pontius Pilate’s second interrogation of Jesus, the flagellation, Jesus’s crown made of thorns, Pontius Pilate washing his hands, road to Calvary, the crucifixion, the deposition, the entombment, three women at the tomb, Christ in Limbo, Noli me tangere, and finally the road to Emmaus. The reverse Predella consists of paintings depicting the temptation and miracles of Jesus. They include baptism of Jesus, temptation on the pinnacle of the temple, temptation on the mountain, the indictment of St. Peter and St. Andrew, wedding at Cana, Christ and the Samaritan woman, healing of the blind, the transfiguration of Jesus, and the raising of Lazarus. The then cultural beliefs in Siena majorly influence Maesta. During the time of the commissioning of Maesta, the city of Siena allied itself with the Angevin dynasty in France and Naples, and the papal party of the Guelph. Therefore, the majority of the people practiced Christianity. The altarpiece can also be related to Catholicism because it was highly practiced in that era. The Catholics always prayed to Mary Mother of Jesus asking her to intervene by praying for their sins. In such a case, the painting played a significant role in showing the relationship Mary had with Jesus and why the people look up to Mary as their role model. At the same time, the brief rule of Constantine ushered in an influx of Byzantine art and artists into Italy, which radically influenced the development of Italian Gothic art. Rural monasteries were replaced by cathedrals to accommodate the increasing population of bankers and merchants. Therefore, as a way of showing the new acquired wealth, power, and influence, cathedrals, private chapels, and secondary altars commissioned altarpieces, such as Maesta. Siena at this time was under the rule of nine magistrates, commonly referred to as the nine Nova, and according to their belief, Virgin Mary had favored their 1260 victory over the Florentines during the battle of Monteperti. As such, Siena adopted the Virgin Mary as its Patron Saint and protector of the city, thereby identifying Her for the altarpiece, and placing Her centrally in the Maesta. The painting, therefore, reflects the emerging gothic culture that is now synonymous with Siena. It reflects the religious belief of the city at the time, as it is for the city’s cathedral and also contains the images of the virgin, adopted as the city’s patron and protector. There are some things in the painting that identifies it as belonging to the then Siena’s late middle ages and early Renaissance. It is vital to note that Early Renaissance came into existence after a group of artist decided to diverge from the restrictions of Byzantine Art, where artists were expected to create their images using a specialized routine. However, through creativity and intellectual activities, an artist like Duccio decided to understand the natural world and form paintings that met his objective. During the time, the people of Siena, through the influence of the nine Nova, believed in the Virgin Mary as the savior of their city, patron, and protector. The Maesta portrays these beliefs as shown in the center panel, with the painting of the Virgin Mary and the Christ child, commonly referred to as Virgin and Child in Majesty. The painting also reflects the city’s belief in Christianity. The painting depicts different religious events as accounted for in the Bible, for example, the assumption of the virgin, the childhood of Jesus, portraits of different prophets, and the crucifixion of Christ. The painting also represents the Gothic architecture that was hugely popular at the time. The pointed edges of the painting symbolize gothic architecture, characterized by the use of pointed arches. The size of the painting also portrays the Gothic architecture, which combined pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and flying buttresses, to create wide and vertical interiors. The throne the Virgin sits on is also a depiction of gothic architecture. The commissioning of the Maesta was due to a victory over Siena against its arch rival Florence. Sienese believed they won the battle because of the grace of the Virgin Mary. Therefore, many years later, Siena commissioned their famous painter, Duccio, to create a very large painting dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The painting was to stand on the altar of the Cathedral, in the crossing, just under the dome. The belief in the Virgin Mary by the city of Siena can also reveal by an inscription at the bottom of the altar that read: Holy Mother of God, be the cause of peace to Siena and the life of Duccio because he has painted thee, thus. Another reason for commissioning the Maesta is the artistic rivalry between Florence and Siena. Siena was very a fierce competitor of Florence. The great Florentine painter at the time was Giotto, who had painted a major cycle telling the story of Christ, the Virgin Mary. Therefore to the Sienese, Maesta became the answer to that. The Sienese believed they could do this too, that they could also be comprehensive as the Florentines. The audience of the painting is the people directly associated with the church. During the medieval periods, Cathedrals and churches, in general, were not open to people to walk through as they are now. The ordinary people would have gone to the front of the church only. The area of the altar, at the back of the church, was a reserve for those closely or directly associated with the church. The more privileged view perhaps was available to the monks, priests, and those directly associated with the church. A clear analysis of the painting reveals some interesting details and features of the painting. The altar in the painting is a perfect example of how the people at the time viewed and made the altar during the early Renaissance, sometimes referred to as the late Gothic. Duccio’s altar is similar to other altarpieces from this period, such as Cimabue’s and Giotto’s pieces. It shows some same qualities that Giotto and Cimabue incorporated in their altar, such as it is symmetrical, Mary is at the center of the village flanked by important characters to Christianity. It also incorporates gold leaf as its background, with the main medium used being the tempera paint, a combination of egg York and minerals, and also referred to as egg tempera. It is painted on wood and is seven feet long and seven feet tall, a style used to divide the Cathedral into two different segments. Space in the painting is primarily constructed using intuitive perspective, in which you stack figures up. The diagonals or orthogonal in the front going back, giving it a vertical perspective, hence making it appear as the figures are standing on bleachers. Duccio also employs hieratic scale in the painting in which the most important figures are the largest. Another way of showing important characters is by the use of oil colors on important figures, such as purple and blue. Another way Duccio shows the importance of the Virgin Mary is by using the humanistic gesture. The saints and the angels are looking at Her, regarding Her. She is also sitting on a throne, but Jesus is also seated on Her, signifying the throne of wisdom in which Christ receives His earthly wisdom. As is traditional, the painting shows the Virgin Mary dressed in intensive blue, which must have been expensive at the time, given all the Lapis that would have been used to produce the paint. The portrait of the Virgin Mary also contains embroidered gold in the drapes behind her. The portrait also contains a lot of decorative surfaces synonymous with the Sienese style. The painting shows a real sense of delicacy and subtlety, for example, the clothing wrapping Christ. There is a form of transparency around Christ’s legs, a beautiful modulation of light and shadow. Duccio portrays the drapper around Jesus as soft and beautifully made. From the portrait, it is clear to see the folds in Jesus’s drapper pull towards his right fingers. The modeling portrayed on Christ’s chin, and neck portrays Him in three dimensional. Duccio also makes the face of Christ show more awareness, and by looking straight at us, Christ’s stare is more of a fully conscious adult. The angels in the painting appear animated, with some looking at the Virgin Mary while some are looking directly at us, hence giving them some informality. Duccio also portrays the throne to be opening up and moving towards the viewers spacing, somehow signaling the compassionate nature of the Virgin Mary. The reverse of the Maesta is as large as the front but comprises of many panels. It is important to note that Duccio is not interested in conceiving each of the panels entirely separately, but ensures that he unifies the panels together with the intention of telling the story of Christ. For example, a closer look at the three central scenes, the bottom panel shows Christ at the garden asking His Apostles to remain awake while He talks to God. There are three sets of trees in that image that are echoed in the panel just above, which shows the arrest of Christ, and again in the image above it, showing the three trees as crosses for the crucifixion of Christ and the two sinners. A closer look at the first double panel of the reverse reveals something interesting. Just like an illuminated manuscript will sometimes have a large opening font, the double panel gives the viewer the idea of where to begin when viewing the story of the life of Christ. In this case, the double panel portrays in the entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. Bibliography Christiansen, Keith, Laurence Kanter, and Carl Brandon Strehlke. Painting in Renaissance Siena, 1420–1500. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2013. Dominiczak, Marek H. "On Gothic Cathedrals and Contemporary Science." 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