Cimabue

(Cenni di Pepi; active c. 1272-1302)

   Considered the leading painter of the Florentine School in the 13th century, and the one to have brought the Maniera Greca style to its highest refinement. Cimabue (dehorner of oxen) was a nickname he received as a result of his supposed aggressive disposition. The Enthroned Madonna and Child (c. 1280; Florence, Uffizi) painted for the Church of Santa Trinità, Florence, is usually attributed to the artist. The altarpiece stands out from others of the period in its monumental scale (at the time, the largest altarpiece ever created) and the attempt to construct a three-dimensional space around the figures. Cimabue is documented in Rome in 1272, where he must have seen Early Christian and medieval examples that may have inspired his monumental panel. Two Crucifixions, one at San Domenico in Arezzo (c. 1280) and the other at Santa Croce, Florence (c. 1287-1288), are also attributed to him. In these examples, the apron is filled with decorative patterning, rather than the usual figures or narratives, which places all focus on the crucified Christ. Sometime after 1279, Cimabue went to Assisi to work on the frescoes of San Francesco, which the church built to mark the burial site of St. Francis. In the apse, he painted the life of the Virgin and in the transept two crucifixions, an Apocalypse, and episodes from the lives of Sts. Peter and Paul (attributed to Cimabue's assistants). These frescoes are heavily damaged, mainly due to the oxidation of the white lead paint the artist used. In spite of this, one can still appreciate Cimabue's desire to move toward greater realism and emotional content. In particular, the Crucifixion on the left transept shows intense drama, underscored by the windswept draperies of the figures and their poignant gestures.