Giotto, The Entry into Jerusalem, The Expulsion of the Money-changers from the Temple and The Betrayal of Judas, c. 1305, Scrovegni Chapel, Padua. Welcome back to Scrovegni Saturday! We are, in some ways, approaching the beginning of the end, as we head towards the end of the sequence of Jesus’s life in the middle of the walls, andContinue reading “102 – Jesus… and Judas”
Category Archives: Fresco
Day 100 – A New Life
Giotto, The Raising of Lazarus, c. 1305 Scrovegni Chapel, Padua. We looked at The Raising of Lazarus a few days ago, in the dark and mysterious painting by Henry Ossawa Tanner in the Musée d’Orsay (Picture Of The Day 95). Admittedly his work is titled ‘Resurrection’ rather than ‘Raising’, but that might be a result of translation fromContinue reading “Day 100 – A New Life”
Day 93 – A Baptism and a Wedding
Giotto, The Baptism and The Wedding at Cana, c. 1305, Scrovegni Chapel, Padua. Bother. Oh bother. I hate it when I get things wrong. Last week I said that we would start today with The Baptism of Christ, saying that it was opposite Christ among the Doctors. But it isn’t, it’s next to it. Here is the opened-up scale model ofContinue reading “Day 93 – A Baptism and a Wedding”
Day 87 – The Childhood of Christ
Giotto, The Childhood of Christ, c. 1305, Scrovegni Chapel, Padua. So, as we continue to explore the Scrovegni Chapel we hit the middle tier of frescoes on the side walls. With the Last Judgement at the West End (Picture Of The Day 38), and the Annunciation and Visitation at the East, spanning the chancel arch (POTD 80),Continue reading “Day 87 – The Childhood of Christ”
Day 80 – Gabriel’s Mission
Giotto, Gabriel’s Mission, The Annunciation and The Visitation, c. 1305, Scrovegni Chapel, Padua. Ah – Scrovegni Saturday! How many more will there be, I wonder? So far we’ve looked at the West Wall, with the Last Judgement (behind us, in the photo below), and the Virtues and Vices along the bottom of the South and North walls respectively, the Story of Joachim and Anna atop the SouthContinue reading “Day 80 – Gabriel’s Mission”
Day 73 – Mary
Giotto, Stories from the Life of the Virgin, c. 1305, Scrovegni Chapel, Padua. Welcome back to Scrovegni Saturday – we’re well into the story. Joachim has been rejected from the temple, and as William Caxton put it back in 1483, ‘And then Joachim, all confused for this thing, durst not go home for shame’ (POTD 66). Meanwhile, Anna is waitingContinue reading “Day 73 – Mary”
Day 67 – Psyche VII: ‘Celebration!’
Raphael, The Council of the Gods and The Wedding Banquet of Cupid and Psyche, 1518-19, Villa Farnesina, Rome. Oh dear – I was wondering last week if we were nearing the end of the story of Cupid and Psyche (Picture Of The Day 43, 44, 46, 53, 54, 60), on what has gradually evolved into ‘Psyche Sunday’, and IContinue reading “Day 67 – Psyche VII: ‘Celebration!’”
Day 66 – Joachim and Anna
Giotto, The Story of Joachim and Anna, c. 1305, Scrovegni Chapel, Padua. Time to get going with the stories! From the past few weeks we know, when looking down the chapel towards the altar, that the Last Judgement (Picture Of The Day 38) is behind us, with the Virtues at the bottom of the walls on our rightContinue reading “Day 66 – Joachim and Anna”
Day 60 – Psyche VI: ‘Resolution?’
Workshop of Raphael, The Story of Psyche, 1518-19, Villa Farnesina, Rome. I had no idea this rom-com would involve so many episodes! But it is a great story, with some lovely paintings associated with it. And even if Apuleius didn’t tell it exactly as I am – well, my version seems to match the paintings… ThisContinue reading “Day 60 – Psyche VI: ‘Resolution?’”
Day 59 – Virtues vs Vices
Giotto, The Cardinal Virtues, and opposing Vices, c. 1305, Scrovegni Chapel, Padua. We have spent the last two Saturdays looking at the Theological Virtues, and their opposing Vices (Picture Of The Day 45 & 52)– and this week we will put together the remaining imagery along the lowest level of the Scrovegni Chapel. All eight ofContinue reading “Day 59 – Virtues vs Vices”
dr richard stemp 