Giorgio Vasari’s The Lives of
the Artists begins with the biography of
Cimabue, who was raised in Florence and lived from 1240-1302. Vasari describes the artist as the
first since antiquity to improve upon the traditional style of art today known
as Greco Byzantine. Vasari praises
Cimabue for this forward movement, noting the tonal humanity presented in
Cimabue’s works throughout the Tuscan region.
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| Wooden Cross (1265), Cimabue, Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Creative Commons |
A particular work exemplifying his
style is the Wooden Cross (1265), which can be
seen in the Basilica of Santa Croce.
Cimabue’s Christ hangs from the cross with more lifelike features – his
legs and torso dangle limply to one side, while his arms and head droop in
death. Most notably is the expression
of anguish and sorrow on Christ’s face.
When closely observed, it is found that the lines of his face sag in
pain. His mouth and eyes slope downward,
giving him a dimension of humanity unseen works by previous artists.
Although Cimabue was only the
precursor of what was to come – quickly surpassed in fame by his successor,
Giotto di Bondone – Vasari notes that without his spark of ingenuity, it may
have been many more years before art began to transform. Perhaps (and Vasari notes this as well)
Cimabue was in the right place at the right time, a mixture of painting master
and creative mind, much unlike his predecessors.
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