Our day in Padova (pop 215,125 in 2011) begins with disappointment – our niece, the graphic designer, cannot join us to see the Cappella degli Scrovegni (Giotto, c1305). Quite a shame as this Early Renaissance masterpiece is 'not to be missed'. It surely would have had an impact, but she is not feeling well, and nothing can be done about it except rest.
Also, the weather is perfect, so yes, a real shame.
The walk from Padova's train station is quite short, over the Ponte del Popolo to the Giardini dell'Arena. The Cappella is there, next to the Chiesa degli Eremitani (thirteenth century).
With our timed entry tickets, we get fifteen minutes in the Cappella. But we know the drill, we were here in 2017. Fifteen minutes is not nearly enough time to really enjoy the frescos, so we enter with a strategy: move systematically through the Cappella, shoot each vertical section, then go back in for details. And when reviewing photos from our earlier visit, certain areas seem to be lacking, for example the altar, so try to get a few of those.
Entering the space, we realize why our previous collection lacked images of the altar – there's not much to it. But we execute the strategy anyway. So now we must move from the altar (east) to the entry portal (west), trying to avoid the other photographers (while also not impeding them). And now armed with the iPhone 15 Pro Max, the plan includes some close-ups.
We want to understand the technical aspects of Giotto's early attempts at linear perspective. And within the spectrum of art history, we want to understand how Giotto begins the transition from medievalism (ie obedience, hierarchy) to humanism (ie agency, community).
We pass down the aisle, looking first left (north), then right (south). The top-most images are within the curve of the vault, so it's hard to capture them as 'straight' images. So we shoot those separately.
Corteo nuziale di Maria looks a little faded; the blue field in the background is only behind the figures (it was like that in 2017), We can more clearly see the leaf-form and medieval trefoil loggia over the players. The musicians are relaxed, and drawn on angle, while Mary and Her attendants march in profile, so a mix of Gothic and Renaissance presentations.
Cacciata di Gioacchino is at the south corner. Here, it is interesting to note the more 'classical' architecture is in perspective, though we can see the projection is not perfectly constructed, as the angles are irregular, and the eye-level is inconsistent.
In the vertical panels on the north, we see Cacciata dei mercanti dal Tempio above. This shows an energetic Christ, clearly angry. An image of the Pentecoste is below, with the Holy Spirit radiating to the Twelve Apostles from the ceiling of the alcove; the figures fit tightly between the thin posts. Again, fascinating to note a 'classical' structure set above a Gothic space in these two frescos.
On the south side, we see the Natività di Gesù above the Ultima Cena. Though the manger suffers from the experimental technique, the drawings of the livestock are excellent, with the donkey's and the lamb's heads beautifully foreshortened. The dark halos around the Apostles in the Cena are surprising (the gold foil lost?), as is the 'transparent' corner post.
The next upper image at the north shows the Sposalizio della Vergine, which is wonderfully rendered. Joseph holds the ring to Mary's finger, while Mary is clearly pregnant. In the background, the coffers of the temple's dome are well constructed, though that fresco's surface is damaged – and the damage continues into the ceiling vault over the altar (again, same as 2017).
The vertical panels Ingresso a Gerusalemme and Ascensione are on the north. While many of these figures are in profile, the two angels below the Ascensione are very well executed. While on the south, we find Adorazione dei Magi and Lavanda dei piedi, where the characters appear dimensional and engaged (note the squire in the Adorazione looking up at the camel).
In the central bay, upper north, is Preghiera per la fioritura delle verghe. Of the Tempio sequence, the damage is the least, and we get a better sense of Giotto's intention for the setting (section-cut room with half-dome), especially with all the figures on their knees.
In the vertical panels are Resurrezione di Lazzaro and Resurrezione e Noli me tangere (touch me not) – a pairing of scenes of restored life. Christ's banner reads, victor mortis and in both frescos the figures are wonderfully represented, including the mummy-wrapped Lazarus, and the sleeping soldiers.
On the opposite side are Presentazione di Gesù al Tempio and Bacio di Giuda, and its striking composition with clubs and torches. Both show a lot of loss of the azurite blue background.
In the next bay are Consegna delle verghe (north) and Sacrificio di Gioacchino (south). We smile at the expression of the officiant in the Consegna, and Hand of God at the very top of the Sacrificio.
The color in many of the upper frescos at the west end of the Cappella seems less saturated, as it does in the entire west ceiling vault, centered on the Madonna col Bambino (below) – compare this to the patchy but more intense blue of the east vault centered on Cristo Pantocratore (images above and top). We wonder if this is where the pigment mix or technique changed from one end versus the other. Perhaps it also has something to do with the lighting (windows only on the south side) and the iPhone's camera, especially while shooting pictures at the top of the windows.
The upper painting on the north is Nozze di Cana (Jesus turns water into wine) is unusual as a tranquil, domestic scene of that era: the wall decorations, the clothing, and the furnishings. The lower image is one of the most emotional, Compianto sul Cristo morto, with the wailing angels and stunned attendants – what a powerful contrast.
On the south are Fuga in Egitto and Cristo davanti a Caifa. In the lower image Giotto properly resolves the frame and the architecture. The artist creates a space just beyond the opening and inside, places Caiaphas as he reacts to Christ's 'blasphemy' by tearing his robes.
In the next bay, Presentazione di Maria al Tempio shows a complex and convincing geometry, especially the diagonal construction of the stairs. And the way the figures stand on several levels is just as believable. On the other side, in Sogno di Gioacchino, the damage to the angel's feet creates a motion blur, and he appears to swim in the sky. The scale of the livestock is also a little jarring.
On the north, Battesimo di Cristo and Crocifissione again creates a contrasting pair, with the 'rebirth' and death of Christ. By chance, the damage to the blue background almost enhances the burst of light over the Battesimo, while at the bottom of the Crocifissione, in a dark crevice, there is a small skull. The vertical connection is striking and extremely powerful.
The last images on the south are Strage degli innocenti and Cristo deriso, images of extreme external and internal violence. The draftsmanship in the Strage is remarkable, with the buttresses of the octagonal temple radiating perfectly. Herod's balcony, however, still looks somehow flattened, and the horizon-line seems unreconciled.
Because the north side lacks windows, there is a sixth bay, and here we find frescos of Cristo tra i dottori and Salita al Calvario. The architecture catches our eye in both: the arches of the interior and the corner tower of the exterior.
There is also a matching extra upper panel at the edge of the vault to the south, and this shows Incontro di Anna e Gioacchino alla Porta d'Oro. This image features the famous kiss, an unusual public display of affection, elegantly drawn, and accentuated by the portraits of the smiling crowd gathered near the couple.
The final image as we head to the entrance is Giudizio universale, the Last Judgement from Revelation, a single monumental composition that fills the entire end wall. At the center is Christ, set apart by a rainbow wreath and ringed with angles; the color gradient of the wreath is fantastic. Behind His robes are the symbols of the Four Evangelists: St John's eagle, St Luke's bull, St Matthew's angel, and St Mark's lion. The Twelve Apostles are joined by a heavenly host.
On His right, the dead climb from their graves as He lifts them to Paradiso. But His left hand is turned downward. A lake of fire streams from the edge of the nimbus, as the damned are swept into l'Inferno, to be consumed by Lucifero.
There is no longer any pretense of an architectural setting. This is not il divino upon our Earthly world; this is the 'other world' of il divino.
A pair of angels carries the cross, and at the foot of the cross Enrico Scrovegni offers the Cappella to the Madonna, with San Giovanni and Santa Caterina d'Alessandria (two saints to whom the chapel is dedicated) on Her right and left. Also supporting the building is Altegrado Cattaneo, Scrovegni's friend and a canon of the cathedral.
Then, from behind the cross, a small figure grasps at the base; we are somehow reminded of evangelical Christians.
High above, on either side of the tripartite window, two angels hold the blue sky like rolls of wallpaper (large image above). On the left is the sun, and on the right is the moon.
We cannot wait out the crowd for every angle, but we are able to get a few good details: Crocifissione with a lot of the border detail (Old Testament images of dragons and whales in the quatrefoils), Compianto with a close-up of the emotional faces, and Incontro with the embrace between Anna and Gioacchino.
Just as we leave, we try to get a few pictures of the lower band, in sculptural 'black and white', which shows Virtù (north side) and Vizi (south side). For example, Scostanza (inconstancy) is a female figure riding a wheel over an incline, while Giustizia (justice) is shown weighing the deeds of two figures on the ledges of the niche (unfortunately damaged).
We feel immensely grateful to have a second visit to do this deep dive on the images; at the same time, we are very sorry our niece could not make it.
We leave the Cappella and return to the Giardini dell'Arena. This garden surrounds the Arena Romana (c30BC), which remains as an elliptical wall, and which joins the west facade of the Cappella. So, there is an archeological museum in the cloisters.
As we process the images from the Cappella in the museum, we are confronted by Giogio Vigna, a sculptor whose artworks have invaded the archeological collection. Art is relentless.
The show is called Analogie, and mixes the permanent exhibit with pieces of glass, stone, and metal, as well as projected images that 'complete' the mosaic floors.
Other round 'bubbles' reflect the lights in the cases and the surfaces of the artifacts. Another piece involves a series of 'deflated' globes skewered by a dark metal rod with a clear glass 'flame', all set on top of an old Roman road marker.
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