An evocative exhibition titled “Siena: The Rise of Painting, 1300-1350” showcases the works of renowned artists, including Simone Martini’s Saint John the Evangelist (1320). The pieces on display reflect a distinct late-Medieval charm, characterized by their hieratic forms, which some might view as the foundational elements leading to the refined aesthetics of the High Renaissance.
In these paintings, multiple events and time periods converge on a single plane, with halos suspended in a space that blurs the lines between realistic representation and flat, gilded backgrounds. The anatomical representations are approximate, eschewing scientific accuracy, which highlights the transformative impact of later developments in optical perspective that emerged a century later.
Another significant shift introduced during the Renaissance was the Venetian technique of painting on canvas, which offered greater mobility and lightness to artworks. In contrast, the Sienese art on display possesses a weightier quality, both in its rigid figuration and in its intrinsic materiality. Viewers engage with these works not merely as images but as physical entities that coexist with their surroundings, inviting a tactile connection that is both immersive and intimate.
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