The Innovations of Giotto di Bondone

What was one of Giotto’s innovations that moved away from the Italo-Byzantine style?

a. gilded backgrounds

b. elaborately painted draperies

c. symmetrically arranged figures

d. figures seen from the back

Answer

Option 'C' symmetrically arranged figures is correct.

Giotto di Bondone, an Italian painter from the late 13th to early 14th century, is known for his significant contributions to the development of Western art during the Proto-Renaissance period.

One of Giotto's innovations was moving away from the flat and stylized Italo-Byzantine style, which heavily relied on symbolic representations and lacked naturalism. He introduced more naturalistic elements to his artworks, with one notable aspect being the use of symmetrically arranged figures.

Instead of the rigid and hieratic compositions commonly seen in the Italo-Byzantine style, Giotto portrayed figures with more realistic and three-dimensional qualities. His compositions featured a sense of balance and harmony, achieved through the placement and arrangement of the figures within the pictorial space.

This departure from the Italo-Byzantine tradition, with its focus on symmetry and naturalistic arrangement of figures, marked a significant shift in the development of Western art. It was influential in paving the way for the Renaissance style that followed.