Giovanni Cimabue Italian artist, one of the leading masters of Florentine painting of the 13th century. Country: Italy

1. Biography of Giovanni Cimabue
2. Early Works and Stylistic Similarities
3. Notable Works and Attribution
4. Legacy and Death

Biography of Giovanni Cimabue

Giovanni Cimabue was an Italian artist and one of the leading masters of Florentine painting in the 13th century. He was born around 1240 and his real name was Cenni di Pepo, but he was nicknamed Cimabue, which means "Bull-headed". Cimabue was the last Italian artist to work in the Byzantine style.

Early Works and Stylistic Similarities

Cimabue's attribution to certain paintings is based on stylistic comparisons with the mosaic depicting St. John the Baptist in the apse of the cathedral in Pisa, which is the only work that can be definitively attributed to Cimabue. Another work that showcases his style is the fresco of the Crucifixion in the Upper Church of Assisi, considered one of his most beautiful creations. Several other figures in the fresco display stylistic similarities to the Crucifixion, showcasing Cimabue's powerful and expressive style. His influence can also be seen in the majority of the darker frescoes in the choir and transept of the Upper Church of Assisi, including scenes of the Apocalypse, the Assumption and Glorification of the Virgin Mary, miracles and martyrdom of the apostles Peter and Paul, and a second large Crucifixion, which is now almost entirely lost.

Notable Works and Attribution

One of Cimabue's most famous works executed in tempera technique is the large Madonna Enthroned, which was painted for the Santa Trinita Church in Florence and is now displayed in the Uffizi Gallery. However, this famous painting is now recognized as an early work by the Sienese master Duccio di Buoninsegna. Two wooden Crucifixions, attributed to Cimabue, can be found in the Church of San Domenico in Arezzo and in the Santa Croce Museum in Florence. Another possible work by Cimabue is a polyptych housed in the National Gallery in Washington, although this attribution is not universally accepted.

Legacy and Death

Cimabue is briefly mentioned by Dante in Purgatorio (XI, 94-96), where he states that "Cimabue's brush alone was held in awe, and now Giotto is exalted without deceit, the art of painting being darkened thereby". Giorgio Vasari recounts the story of how Cimabue's Madonna Enthroned was paraded through the streets of Florence to the cheers of the crowd and how Cimabue encountered Giotto, who was drawing a sheep on a stone, and took him on as his apprentice. It is also said that Cimabue ruthlessly destroyed his own works if he did not like them. Cimabue achieved a high level of mastery in creating rigid, structural forms and clear, logically balanced compositions. He died around 1302.