Cimabue

Madonna Enthroned, Cimabue

In Giorgio Vasari's Lives  he writes about a person who sheds some light of the nature of art, this person is none other than Cimabue.He was also considered the last great Italo-Byzantine master. He was one of the first to bring out the characteristics that started the Renaissance movement. One of his artworks was named Madonna Enthroned and it is of the Virgin Mary with baby Jesus Christ in a hodgetria position. This means that Mary is pointing to Christ for he is the future and savior. Cimabue created an architectural throne, not yet geometrically correct yet it still implies that there is depth in this artwork, the intuitive depth and perception, which we might not instantly recognize but was more apparent during that time because it foreshadows the more elaborate depth of three dimensional on a two dimensional surface that was in the years to come. Another new characteristic was clothes Madonna wears are more brightly shown and much more elaborate. Cimabue shows more naturalistic styles in which he portrays the bodies of each character in this artwork. This artwork and artist paves the wave for Giotto and many other artists to continue to follow in his footsteps and make art more naturalistic.