Mannerism evolved toward …show more content…
Most artwork was funded by churches, and artist’s worked their way into guilds to get work. The paintings that I chose, Lamentation (Giotto) & Entombment of Christ (Pontormo), both are a biblical representation of Christ’s crucifixion on the cross after being persecuted by the Romans, but more specifically when Joseph and Nicodemus asked to take him down from the cross. Both paintings emulate breaks from traditional prior artwork, but still depict emotion of sorrow, pain, and possible anger. Giotto was breaking away from the traditional Byzantine, straight faced, artwork during The Middle Ages, while Pontormo was breaking away from the humanistic, linear perspective of The High Renaissance (Kleiner). The differences that both artists went through changed the portrayal of the human body throughout the 14th century into the 16th century. These changes, swayed me to choose to write about the treatment of the human figure between the two pieces of artwork. In the following paragraphs I will compare the human body as pictured in Lamentation (Giotto) and Entombment of Christ …show more content…
The total look of the painting almost feels like you are looking at a spiral. Starting with Mary, you can depict a spiral connecting all the heads of the figures. This spiraling effect, I think, helps the viewer feel the monotony in the scene. The scene in Lamentation has a lineal structure to it, making the viewer draw their focus directly the body of Jesus. The faces on the carriers of Jesus, make you feel sorry for them as they look like they are about to drop him. Mary’s body, falling away from the body of Jesus allows the viewer to feel the loss of loved one. The overall structure of Entombment of Christ allows the viewer to look past the death of Christ, and also feel the others that were affected by this tragedy in this scene, splitting the focus between Mary and