The 13 th , 14th and 15th century's

Sacred Tradition in Byzantine and Italian Art

A short commentary on the chart by

Guillem Ramos-Poquí © 2006

During the 13 th and 14 th centuries we see three major influences in Early Italian Art: the Byzantine influence (Cimabue, Duccio), the Gothic influence (Lorenzo Monaco ) and a new “Latin tradition” starting with Giotto. A great source of inspiration was the spirituality of Saint Francis of Assisi . We see Saint Francis standing next to the Mother of God enthroned with angels in a fresco by Cimabue in the Basilica of St Francis in Assisi and, also in the same basilica, a series of extraordinary frescos by Giotto on the life of St Francis. When I first visited the Ufizzi in Florence in the early 70's I was overtaken by the bigger than life size versions of the Maestà (The Virgin Enthroned with angels) in the first room, by Cimabue, Duccio and Giotto. Work by Cimabue displays the Byzantine influence, which also shows in the work of Sienese painter Duccio. I have always been a great admirer of Duccio's work since I saw his breathtaking Maestà altarpiece made for Sienna's cathedral and now exhibited in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo (three of the panels are in the National Gallery in London). The Pinacoteca in Siena exhibits a beautiful collection of Sienese painters too. Another extraordinary collection is the Museum of San Matteo in Pisa .

But the centre of direct exchanges between Byzantium and Italy was Venice , due to the strategic position of this city as a commercial centre. Between 1204-1261 Venetians ruled Constantinople, and the Crusaders ruled Palestine . We must also remember that Centres of major production of Byzantine icons, in Crete and Cyprus , were part of the “Venetian empire” for several centuries (Crete: 1206/1212-1669 until it was taken over by the Turks, and Cyprus : 1489-1570). All this simply means that there was a fascinating “hybrid” cross-over of styles. This is shown, for instance, in the so called “Crusaders icons”, in the “Veneto-Byzantine tradition” shown in the works of Venetian painters like Paolo Veneciano and, of course, in the work of Duccio. If we compare for example the style of the work of these two artists to a 14 th century Byzantine icon we will see the intriguing “softening” of the edges of the folds. They all worked in egg tempera of course, and in the case of Duccio he had a different way of building the skin colour base and lights in the face. He started with a flat terra verte (mixed with a bit of white) colour, and over this he build up to the lights with the local flesh colours in a series of highly controlled light and dark coloured graduations, painted by little directional strokes or hatching technique. This is explained in the 14 th century manual “ Il Libro dell' Arte ”, by Cennino d'Andrea Cennini*, a pupil of Agnolo Gaddi (who in turn was trained by his father Taddeo Gaddi, who in turn was a pupil of Giotto and worked with him for twenty years).

The colour reproduction at the end of this short commentary is a study 28.3 cm 22.5 cm. based on a work by Cimabue at the National Gallery: The Virgin and Child enthroned with Two Angels . Cimabue (Ref:NG6583). The original is a tempera on panel, 25.7 x 20.5 cm, a small scale simplified version of the Maestà which Cimabue painted on panel for Santa Trinità, Florence (now in the Uffizi), and for San Francesco, Pisa (now in the Louvre, Paris), and in the fresco in the Lower Church of San Francesco, Assisi, painted in 1280's. It is the only work by Cimabue in Great Britain .

I invite you to have a look and study the chart. To see how the Early Italian sacred tradition developed alongside the Byzantine Empire (which collapsed under the Ottoman Turks in 1453). The Byzantine icons which we all most admire are, on the whole, from the 14 th century's Paleologan Dynasty. See also how Andrei Rublev lived at the same time as Fra Angelico (a Dominican friar painting in Florence ). We know that Byzantine Art continued in Russia and Crete . But, by the 17 th centuries the influence of late Italian art was paramount and, in big capitals and official circles, this brought the rapid decline of the original icon style that we so much admire and love.

The discovery of the beauty of Byzantine icons is no doubt a 20 th century European phenomena. Interest in icons is the result of three major factors: 1) During the Russian Revolution: the immigration of Russian intellectuals to Paris , a city receptive to other cultures. Icons were admired by artists like Matisse, Picasso, and Paris- based Russian emigrant artists like Chagall and Kandinsky. When Matisse went to Russia in 1911, he saw the icons at the Tretiakov Gallery and the Hermitage, and he said: "I am in love with their moving simplicity……..In these icons the soul of the artist who painted them opens out like a mystical flower. And from them we ought to learn how to understand art." 2) Another factor being: academic Research and Publications by European art historians specialized in Byzantine Art. 3) Also some major exhibitions in Museums and art galleries. And maybe a 4 th reason, this time an esoteric one: the role of Vatican II bringing an interest in the writings of the Early Fathers and ecumenism (at a time when the later collapse of the Soviet Union was never expected) and the renewal of the visual arts in the Church.

In the chart I have only included Italian artists whose work, in my opinion, inspire a sense of reverence and prayer. I have excluded those who are already moving towards a more secular and mainly decorative approach (such as Gentile de Fabriano, Fillipo Lippi, and Botticelli). You can find the works of those selected in the chart by simply doing an internet search, simply type the name and add the work “Online”.

What is the point of identifying a parallel European Early Italian sacred tradition to that of the icons? First of all it is an opportunity for us to study both traditions and techniques, to capture with reverence the spirit of each - very much like a musician will try to capture the spirit of a particular composer today. To remember that, when making studies, side by side to the Greek icon tradition, we have a sacred Latin tradition from which we can learn as much if not more. And from what we learn about the use of colour, form and the sacred, when making these studies, to work towards a new contemporary sacred tradition today.