What kind of painting technique did Giotto use in the Arena Chapel?

What kind of painting technique did Giotto use in the Arena Chapel?

Giotto painted his artwork on the walls and ceiling of the Chapel using the fresco method in which water based colors are painted onto wet plaster. Painting onto wet plaster allows the paint to be infused into the plaster creating a very durable artwork.

What is the main theme of the Arena Chapel?

Fundamental to the drama of redemption, the subject of Giotto’s frescoes in the Arena Chapel at Padua, is the coming and establishment of the New Law. This theme is presented through architectural metaphor and associated figures and objects.

Why was the Scrovegni Chapel built?

According to the Church, usury (charging interest for a loan) was a sin, and so perhaps one of Enrico’s motivations for building the chapel and having it decorated by Giotto was to atone for the sin of usury.

Does Giotto use Chiaroscuro?

Giotto employs the technique of chiaroscuro, or the use of contrasts of light to achieve a sense of volume in his figures, giving them the slight smokiness that is usually characteristic of Leonardo da Vinci and later Renaissance artists.

What is the pictorial story painted in the Arena Chapel?

The frescoes in the Arena Chapel tell the story of Mary and Christ on the long walls. By the altar, Giotto painted the Annunciation, and at the other end, on the entrance wall, the Last Judgment.

What are the characteristics of Arena Chapel?

The chapel is also known as the Arena Chapel because it was built on land purchased by Enrico Scrovegni that abutted the site of a Roman arena. The space was where an open-air procession and sacred representation of the Annunciation to the Virgin had been played out for a generation before the chapel was built.

Who is depicted in the lamentation?

Mary Magdalene typically holds Jesus’ feet, and Joseph is usually a bearded older man, often richly dressed. In fully populated Lamentations the figures shown with the body include The Three Marys, John the Apostle, Joseph and Nicodemus, and often others of both sexes, not to mention angels and donor portraits.