The article will focus on the life and work of the Italian sculptor and architect Niccolò Pisano. He is recognized as the founder of the Italian school of architecture, which influenced the artistic development of all of Italy.
Origin
Niccolo Pisano is considered to be the founder of the school of Italian sculpture and is the father of the famous talented sculptor Giovanni Pisano. He is also recognized as the founder of the Proto-Renaissance culture. The exact date of birth of the master is unknown. Researchers of his work say that 1219 can be considered the most probable date.
The sculptor was born in the city of Apulia, in southern Italy. If you turn to the Sienese archives, you will find that he is called the son of Pietro. "Pisano" is not a real surname, but only a nickname that the architect received after working in Pisa for a long time.
Studies
Niccolo Pisano, whose work demonstrates a clearly high level of craftsmanship, studied with ordinary masters in his hometown. There is also an assumption that he studied in the workshops that worked from the marriage shoulder of Emperor Frederick II and were the focus of the classical tradition. It should be said that he arrived in Pisa already a fairly well-formed sculptor. As time has shown, he made the right decision, abandoning the Byzantine tradition for the sake of returning to the plasticity of the ancient world. It is believed that around 1245 Niccolò Pisano left for Tuscany, where he worked at the Castello del Imperatore in Prato.
After some time, the sculptor again changes his place of residence: he masters Lucca, where he continues to sculpt. A little later, he moved to Pisa (between 1245 and 1250). It was in this city that Niccolò Pisano met his future wife and became a father. Nothing is known about his beloved. Pisano loved his son very much and taught his skills from an early age. Since moving to Pisa, he begins to appear in all documents under the name Niccolo Pisano.
Creation
Researchers cannot say exactly which works belonged to the hand of the sculptor Pisano. It is believed that it was he who was engaged in decorating the castle in Castello del Imperatore. It is most likely that he is also the author of the lions depicted on the portal of the castle. His work of the Tuscan period includes the "Head of a Girl", which is shown in Rome (Palazzo Venezia). In Lucca, he is engaged in decorating the facade of the Cathedral of St. Martin.
First masterpiece
Niccolo Pisano, whose sculptures were already found throughout Italy, in 1255 receives a specific order in Pisa, according to which he was to create a baptistery pulpit. The sculptor worked on this project with his friends Lapo di Richevuto and Arnolfo di Cambio. It was the first work that Pisano signed. It is considered his first masterpiece, since the master managed to combine the classics and the late Roman style.
It is believed that prior to this, Pisano actively studied the sculptural art of the times of Augustus, so much of it was reflected in the baptistery department. It was a 6-sided building made of white, pink and dark green marble, which rests on arches. The latter were made in the Gothic style in the form of a shamrock. The arches were supported by tall columns. At the corners of each arch there was a figure of one of the 4 main virtues (the most popular figure is the image of the Force in the form of Hercules). It is believed that the masters were inspired to create just such a baptistery by the triumphal arches of Rome, which he admired when he traveled to Ostia.
Let's remember that it is also decorated with columns and reliefs. The latter depict various scenes from the life of Jesus Christ: the Last Judgment, the Adoration of the Magi, the Bringing to the Temple, the Crucifixion, etc. Also, in the work on the baptistery, one cannot fail to notice the obvious classical influences that Pisano studied during court of Emperor Frederick II. It is believed that the best creations of Niccolo are the relief "Annunciation", "Adoration of the Shepherds" and "Nativity of Christ". In his work, the sculptor successfully combined the technologies of ancient masters and the modern sacred meaning of Christian customs. At the same time, the images of saints also resemble the works of ancient masters: they are majestic, sublime and restrained.
Completion of work with the son
Around 1264, Pisano was finishing work on the dome of the baptistery. Initially, the architect Diotisalvi was engaged in it, but then the work was given to Niccolò. The sculptor decided to make the baptistery taller and decorate it with two domes. Around 1278, Niccolo's son Giovanni came to the rescue and helped complete the baptistery by decorating the façade with sculptures. A little later, Niccolo began to work on the design of the reliquary for the relics of St. Dominic. Pisano's design was approved, but further work was denied. A little later, he nevertheless had a hand in creating a tomb for St. Dominica in Bologna with Fra Guglielmo.
Pulpit for Siena Cathedral
Around 1265, he begins to work on a pulpit for the Siena Cathedral. In total, he spent about three years on it. The pulpit was very similar to his first masterpiece - the baptistery. However, here he changed the scale and made the structure large in size. The decoration should also be noted, because it was much more luxurious than in the first work. He worked on the project with his true friends - the son of Giovanni, Arnolfo di Cambio and Lapo di Richevuto. If we analyze the voluminous figured bas-reliefs, we can say that the influence of French Gothic is very noticeable in them.
The last work of Niccolo and Giovanni Pisano is a fountain that was intended to decorate the main square in Perugia. Written evidence claims that Niccolò built the church of Santa Trinita in Florence as a reminder of the Cistercian Gothic that continued to develop in Italy.
Summing up, we can say that Niccolo became the forefather of the Italian school of sculpture, which lasted until the 14th century, and its influence spread throughout Italy. Much of Pisano's work belongs to the past: obsolete symbols and images remained, the space was filled completely, leaving no room for fantasy. But the works of Niccolò Pisano (his paintings) prepared society for great changes in the field of sculpture and architecture. They have become a kind of springboard for a high jump. The years 1260-1270 were very busy for the master, as he received orders from all over Italy.
Giovanni Pisano was born in Pisa between 1245 and 1250 gg. Son Niccolo Pisano, his student and assistant, became a much more famous sculptor than his famous father.
In 1265-78. Giovanni worked with his father, in particular, with his direct participation, a pulpit was created for the city cathedral in Siena, as well as the Fonte Maggiore fountain in Perugia.
The first independent work of Giovanni is the sculptural decoration of the facade of the Pisa Baptistery, on which he worked in 1278-84. For the first time in Tuscany, monumental sculpture was organically incorporated into architectural design. The extraordinary liveliness of the Pisan sculptural images is the complete opposite of the calm serenity of the characters of Niccolò Pisano.
In 1285, Giovanni moved to live in Siena, where from 1287 to 1296. served as chief architect of the cathedral. Full of dynamics and sharp drama, the figures of the sculptural composition of the facade of the cathedral ( "Miriam") testify to the significant influence of French Gothic plastic on the art of Giovanni Pisano (it is assumed that between 1268 and 1278 the sculptor visited France). Of all the Gothic Italian facades, the Siena Cathedral has the most luxurious sculptural decoration ( "Plato", "Isaiah"). In the future, it was he who served as a model for the decoration of the Gothic temples of Central Italy.
Miriam. Giovanni Pisano 1285-97
Plato. Giovanni Pisano.
Around 1280
Isaiah. Giovanni Pisano.
1285-97
Moses. Giovanni Pisano
. 1285-97
In 1299., after the work in Siena was completed, Giovanni returned to Pisa, where he worked as an architect and sculptor on the construction of church buildings.
One of the greatest achievements of the work of Giovanni Pisano - pulpit for the church of Sant'Andrea in Pistoia (1297-1301 ). In this creation of the master, the influence of French Gothic plastic was especially pronounced. Sant'Andrea - a small Romanesque church; perhaps that is why the sculptor chose the shape of a hexagon - the same shape his father chose forty years ago for the pulpit of the Pisa Baptistery. The theme of the reliefs decorating the pulpit is also similar to that of Pisa. However, Giovanni's style is distinguished by greater freedom and ease, greater dynamics; his images are imbued with passionate emotional intensity and spiritual strength. The faces of the characters are expressive, the poses and gestures are full of drama. The scenes "Crucifixion" and "Massacre of the Innocents" are especially expressive. In the latter, emotionality and drama reach their climax. People, animals, draperies, landscape elements - everything is mixed up in some bizarre, unusual configurations. Such a frank "violence" of movements and feelings is no longer in the subsequent works of the master.
Pulpit of the Church of Sant'Andrea in Pistoia. Giovanni Pisano.
1301
Massacre of the innocents. Relief of the pulpit of the Church of Sant'Andrea in Pistoia. Giovanni Pisano.
1301
Giovanni Pisano is the author of numerous statues of Madonnas, prophets and saints. His sculptures are characterized by sharp turns, angular outlines. Following the French masters, he turned to the image of the Madonna with the Child in her arms, the most famous of which is in the altar of the Scrovegni Chapel (chapel del Arena) in Padua (c. 1305). 
Madonna with Child. Scrovegni Chapel (Cappella del Arena), Padua. Pisano Giovanni.
1305-06
From 1302 to 1320 gg. Giovanni Pisano worked on a pulpit destined for the Pisa Cathedral. After a fire in 1599, the pulpit was dismantled (during repairs), but it was rebuilt only in 1926. The reconstruction is considered not very successful. The remaining "extra" fragments are stored in several museums around the world. In this work, the master largely returns to classical motifs, the influence of French Gothic is noticeably weaker here (“Fortitude and Prudence”, “Hercules”).
In 1313, Giovanni began work on the gravestone of Empress Margaret of Luxembourg in Genoa (not finished).
Fragments of the gravestone of Margaret of Luxembourg. Giovanni Pisano.
Marble. 1313
The last mention of Giovanni Pisano refers to 1314.; he is believed to have died shortly thereafter.
1. * Mariam(Hebrew מירים, Miriam; in the Septuagint Μαριάμ, in the Vulgate Maria) - the daughter of Amram and Jochebed - Miriam the prophetess, the elder sister of Aaron and Moses.
Details Category: Proto-Renaissance Fine Arts and Architecture Posted on 15.09.2016 14:03 Views: 2144The art of the Proto-Renaissance is characterized by the artists' desire for a real reflection of reality, which is always filled with the feelings and experiences of people.
Proto-Renaissance artists continued the traditions of medieval art, which arose from the synthesis of the artistic heritage of the Roman Empire and the iconographic traditions of the early Christian church.
Another important feature of proto-Renaissance art is the interest in the art of antiquity.
In architecture already in the XI-XIII centuries. signs of the Proto-Renaissance appeared, especially in Italian Tuscany. The architecture of the Proto-Renaissance is characterized by poise and calmness, and the sculpture of this period is an example of late antique art with a strong emphasis on plastic. The most prominent representatives of architecture and sculpture of this period were Arnolfo di Cambio, Niccolo and Giovanni Pisano.
The founder of the school of Italian sculpture was Niccolò Pisano.
Niccolò Pisano (circa 1225-1278/1284)
Pio Fedi. Italian sculptor Niccolo Pisano
Niccolo Pisano is an Italian sculptor and architect. Born in Apulia. The details of his biography are little known. He lived and worked in Tuscany, and then moved to Lucca, a city in the Italian region of Tuscany. Later, the sculptor settled in Pisa, where his son Giovanni was born.
The first signed work of N. Pisano is the pulpit for the baptistery, for which he received an order around 1255. Arnolfo di Cambio was among his assistants. This work is considered a masterpiece: in it, Pisano managed to combine traditional plots and motifs of the classical late Roman style.
According to Vasari, Pisano studied Roman sculpture from the time of Octavian Augustus well, and its influence manifested itself in the pulpit of the Pisan baptistery (an annex to a church or a separate building intended for baptism). The Baptistery of Pisano is a hexagonal building made of white, rose red and dark green marble. The pulpit rests on arches supported by tall columns. Its reliefs depict gospel scenes from the life of Christ: the Annunciation and Christmas, the Adoration of the Magi, the Bringing to the Temple, the Crucifixion, the Last Judgment. When working, Pisano used the technologies of ancient masters, but rethought the classical images in the Christian worldview.
N. Pisano. The pulpit of the Baptistery in Pisa (detail)
A similar but larger (octagonal) pulpit was created by Niccolò Pisano for the Siena Cathedral in 1265-1269. He was assisted in his work by his son Giovanni and the students of Arnoldo Donato and di Cambio. The reliefs of this pulpit contain even more figures depicted with great expression. Here Pisano built the tomb of St. Dominica for the church of the same name in Bologna (1264-1267).
The last work of the sculptor was the fountain for decorating the cathedral square in Perugia (1278), in the creation of which Niccolo's son Giovanni also participated.
Father and son Pisano. Fontana Maggiore
Niccolo Pisano built the Church of Santa Trinita in Florence (1258-1280) - an example of Italian Gothic.
N. Pisano. Facade of the Church of Santa Trinita
The original and smaller complex was created by the Florentine nobleman John Gualbert in 1092. After 1250, the complex was rebuilt in the Gothic style and expanded by the architect Niccolò Pisano.
Giovanni Pisano (circa 1245/1250-after 1320)
Italian sculptor and architect of the Proto-Renaissance; son, student and assistant of Niccolò Pisano. Born in Pisa around 1245. In 1265-1278. worked with his father.
Pisano's first independent work was the sculptural decoration of the façade of the Pisan Baptistery, and this was an innovation: for the first time in Tuscany, sculpture was included in architectural design. Even then, the liveliness of the Pisan sculptural images of Giovanni was noted, which distinguished his work from the sculptures of his father.
D. Pisano. Sculptural decoration of the facade of the Pisa Baptistery
After visiting France in 1270-1276. in his works, the influence of French Gothic plastic became noticeable. Around 1284, Giovanni received an order to create a sculptural composition for the facade of the Siena Cathedral, and in 1290 he led the work on its construction and decoration.
D. Pisano. Facade of the Cathedral in Siena
Photo credit: Myrabella / Wikimedia Commons
Siena Cathedral is distinguished by luxurious sculptural decoration. In Siena, Giovanni was appointed chief architect of the cathedral. He later returned to Pisa and worked as an architect and church sculptor. In 1301 he completed the pulpit for the church of Sant'Andrea in Pistoia, which is shaped like the pulpits made by his father. But the relief style of Giovanni is more free and unconstrained; there is more movement and drama in the figures he created. Giovanni surpassed his father in fame.
Giovanni Pisano(Italian Giovanni Pisano) (c. 1250 - c. 1315) - Italian sculptor and architect. The son and pupil of Niccolò Pisano, one of the figures of the Proto-Renaissance, he became a much more famous sculptor than his father. The style of Giovanni Pisano is more free and dynamic, he shows figures in motion and uses various means of dramatization, his sculptures are characterized by sharp turns and angular outlines.
Biography
Facade of the Cathedral in Siena
Giovanni Pisano was born in Pisa around 1245. In 1265-78. Giovanni worked with his father, and with his participation, a pulpit was created for the city cathedral in Siena, as well as the Fonte Maggiore fountain in Perugia. The first independent work of Pisano is a sculptural decoration of the facade of the Pisa Baptistery (1278-84). For the first time in Tuscany, monumental sculpture was organically incorporated into architectural design. The extraordinary liveliness of the Pisan sculptures is the opposite of the calm serenity of his father's sculptures. Around 1270-1276 Pisano visited France. In most of his works, the influence of French Gothic is noticeable.
In 1285, Giovanni arrived in Siena, where from 1287 to 1296. served as chief architect of the cathedral. Full of dynamics and drama, the figures of the sculptural composition of the facade of the cathedral testify to the significant influence of French Gothic plastics on Pisano. Of all the Gothic Italian facades, the Siena Cathedral has the most luxurious sculptural decoration. Later, he served as a model for the decoration of the Gothic cathedrals of Central Italy. In 1299, Giovanni returned to Pisa, where he worked as an architect and sculptor in the construction of church buildings.
One of the greatest achievements of Giovanni Pisano is the pulpit for the church of Sant'Andrea in Pistoia (1297-1301). The theme of the reliefs decorating the pulpit is also similar to that of Pisa. However, the faces of the characters are more expressive, their postures and gestures are more dramatic. The scenes "Crucifixion" and "Massacre of the Innocents" are especially expressive. Giovanni Pisano is the author of numerous statues of Madonnas, prophets and saints. The most famous sculpture of the Madonna is in the altar of the Scrovegni Chapel (chapel del Arena) in Padua (c. 1305).
From 1302 to 1320 Giovanni Pisano worked on a pulpit destined for the Pisa Cathedral. After a fire in 1599, the pulpit was dismantled (during repairs) and restored only in 1926. The remaining “extra” fragments are kept in several museums around the world. In 1313, Giovanni began work on the gravestone of Empress Margaret of Luxembourg in Genoa (not finished). The last mention of Giovanni Pisano dates back to 1314, it is believed that he died shortly thereafter.
Giovanni Pisano
A student and assistant of Niccolo Pisano, he, like his father, was a sculptor and architect, an original representative of Italian Gothic. He was born around 1245. He began his career in Siena, where he took part in the work on the cathedra ordered by Niccolò for the cathedral (1265-1268).
Later, he helped him in creating the reliefs of the fountain in Perugia (1278), where already in the style of Giovanni there is a departure from his father's classicism to more intense and complex forms for the sake of dramatic transmission of human feelings. It is generally accepted that the emotionality of the images of Giovanni is due to the influence of French Gothic sculpture. Relief of the pulpit of Sant'Andrea in Pistoia. From 1284 to 1296, he worked on the design of the facade of the Siena Cathedral, from perspective portals to numerous statues - the first independent work. In 1297, documents record his stay in Pisa as the chief master of the cathedral. From 1298 to 1301 Giovanni was working on a commission from Pistoia - a pulpit for the church of Sant'Andrea. A little later, the Madonna of the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua appeared, where the views of Our Lady and Christ turned to each other are filled with deep emotionality. From 1302 to 1310 Giovanni was engaged in the new pulpit of the cathedral in Pisa. His last work was the statue of the Madonna and Child in the Chapel of the Holy Belt of the Cathedral in Prato (Madonna dalla cintola, 1317), where the theme of the silent dialogue between the Virgin Mary and Christ again sounds. Shortly after the completion of this work, Giovanni Pisano died.
Fresco in the Church of San Domenico Cimabue in Arezzo. The Florentine school of painting begins with the work of the artist Cenny di Pepo, nicknamed Cimabue. He was born ca. 1240 in Florence and died in Pisa c. 1302. It was formed in line with the Byzantine tradition and the principles embodied in the mosaics of the Florentine Baptistery of San Giovanni.
The very first of his well-known works is the Crucifixion of the Church of San Domenico in Arezzo (c.1268-1271), where a tense expression of a new dramatic sense is already felt. A few years later he completed the altarpiece of Our Lady (Madonna in maesta, Uffizi, Florence). In 1280-1283. Cimabue takes part in the murals of the Upper Church of the Basilica of San Francesco in Assisi: these are the Evangelists on the vault of the cross, the History of Our Lady in the choir, the scenes of the Apocalypse, the Last Judgment and the Crucifixion in the left arm of the transept, the History of St. Peter in the right. These frescoes show a powerful sense of space and dramatic vision. This trend is continued by the Crucifixion (c.1278-1288, Santa Croce Museum, Florence): the use of more nuanced chiaroscuro adds a touch of heightened emotional characterization. Most likely, in the same period, the Maesta was created in the Lower Church of the Basilica in Assisi, where St. Francis is depicted in front of the Mother of God. The last works of the master - the Madonna (Louvre, Paris), the mosaic of St. John the Evangelist (1302, the cathedral in Pisa) - are tangibly influenced by new forms of Pisan sculpture.
Duccio di Buoninsegna
Duccio was born and died in Siena (c. 1255-c. 1318). He was a prominent representative of Sienese painting at the turn of Ducento and Trecento. The sophisticated, musical sense of color achieved by him, which is in a harmonious ensemble with linear rhythms, marks the formation of refined Sienese painting of the 14th century. There are exact dates for only two works: in 1285 he completed a painting identified with the Rucellai Madonna and has long been attributed to Duccio; in 1308, a large double-sided altarpiece of the Maesta was ordered for the Siena Cathedral, completed in 1311. On one side, the Madonna is depicted enthroned, surrounded by angels and saints; on the back, in 26 scenes, Passion Story. In addition, the artist is credited with the Madonna di Crevole (c. 1283-1284, Cathedral Museum, Siena) and the tiny Madonna of the Franciscans (c. 1300, National Pinacothek, Siena).
