Artist Spotlight: Cimabue || Byzantine and Proto Renaissance Art

Welcome back to the Accessible Art History YouTube channel. In this week's video, I'm going to shine the spotlight on an artist that sometimes gets pushed into the background by his possible pupil, Giotto. Cimabue was the first artist in Italy to break away from the traditions of the Byzantine style. This brave departure started an artistic revolution. To learn more about Cimabue, keep on watching. Unfortunately for us, there's very little information on Cimabue's life. We do know that his name was Ben Sivovini di Papal, and he was born before 1251. Giorgio Vasari wrote about him as the first entry in his books, Lives of the Most Eminent Italian Painters, Sculptors, and Architects in 1550, saying that he was born in 1240 and died in 1300. These dates are only estimates though, because there is a record of Cimabue living and working in Pisa in 1302. The only other confirmed document about Cimabue's life is a 1272 one that identifies him as a master painter and living in Rome. As I just mentioned, Cimabue was not the artist's real name. His nickname essentially translates to bullheaded. This is because Cimabue was said to be proud, especially to a fault. According to some commentators, he was said to take great offense to any criticism, and would even destroy works in anger. Cimabue certainly seems like an interesting fellow. Now that we've established some background, let's look at some of his works. The Crucifixion of the Church of Santa Domenico in Arezzo is Cimabue's earliest attributed work. Measuring at 336 cm by 267 cm, or 132 inches by 105 inches, this massive piece still remains in the church that commissioned it. This work dates from around 1270, likely created between 1267 and 71. This makes it the earliest example of a break from the Byzantine tradition on the Italian peninsula. In addition, some art historians mark it as the beginning of the Florentine tradition that would eventually evolve into the Italian Renaissance. The clearest evidence for the break is the sense of emotion in Christ's face. In earlier styles, holy figures were impassive, but in this piece, Jesus looks broken and sad. The Virgin Mary and St. John the Evangelist have the same forlorn look on their faces. This kind of emotion breaks the bond between human and the divine. It allows the faithful to understand and connect with the pain and suffering of Christ on the cross. This was a remarkable move in the history of art, and one of the reasons that Cimabue is marked as a great artist. The Maesta of Santa Trinita is Cimabue's most famous work. It was commissioned by a confraternity associated with the Church of Santa Trinita, but today it hangs in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. The work was made for laypeople and was intended to hang in a public space at the church for everyone to enjoy. In this piece, the Virgin Mary takes up the most space. She is absolutely massive compared to the other figures. This is because, during the medieval period, devotion to the Virgin Mary was extremely popular. She has a calm and regal look about her, appropriate for her role as a mother of the Son of God and an intercessor. Mary points to her son to indicate that he is the Savior, and the pair are seated on a richly decorated throne. Surrounding them are magnificent angels and prophets that spoke of Christ's coming. Again in this work, we see Cimabue draking away from tradition. Yes, we still have the heavy use of gold and jewel tones we see in Byzantine art, but there is an aspect of three-dimensionality and weight to the work. The figures, although divine, seem to be like real people. This was another major transition in the history of art. As I mentioned in the beginning of the video, Cimabue's legacy is often eclipsed by his alleged pupil, Giotto. However, art historians are doubtful that their relationship actually happened, due to some conflicting records. In 1543, Vasari wrote, quote, Cimabue was, in one sense, the principal cause of the renewal of painting, with the qualification that, Giotto truly eclipsed Cimabue's fame just as a great light eclipses a much smaller one, end quote. Another fan of Cimabue was none other than Dante himself. He isn't a character in Purgatorio, but is mentioned by someone else as being there to repent for his pride. Dante wrote, O vanity of human powers, how briefly lasts the crowning green of glory, unless an age of darkness follows. In painting, Cimabue thought he held the field, but now its Giotto has the cry, so that the other's fame is dimmed. The time right before the Italian Renaissance was rapidly changing, it seems that Cimabue got caught up in it. I hope this video helps you to see just how amazing he was. Make sure to check out the Accessible Art History Instagram at accessible.art.history for another of Cimabue's works.