Cimabue vs Giotto: Madonna Enthroned

Giotto Di Bondone
"Madonna Enthroned"
From the church of Ognissanti, Florence
1310 BCE
Tempura and gold leaf on wood
Florentine School

Giotto revived classical naturalism. The angels and Madonna appear to have a full figure that could cast shadows. Giotto's painting is very similar to Cimbaue's version but has a few big differences. The first is that Madonna is portrayed as a voluptuous matriarch in Giotto's version. Also, Giotto adorned his Madonna with a solid black robe, making her appear much heavier concrete than Cimbaue's version, which portrays golden highlights on Madonna's robe.

The key thing to remember about this painting is the naturalistic feature of people and objects appearing to have more weight and dimension.