The history of European painting places central importance on the contribution of Giotto di Bondone. This Italian painter, born in the late 1260s-1270s, created a distinct painting style that later shaped Renaissance art. A student of Cimabue, Giotto decorated chapels across Florence, Padua, Rome, and Naples with novel frescoes and works in tempera. There’s little known about his life and creative career, so only scarce chronicles allow researchers to appreciate the scale of Giotto’s legacy.

Giotto’s Attribution Issues

The problem with determining Giotto’s date of birth, which currently spans a 10-year range, makes it challenging to attribute some works to the artist. For instance, the authorship of St. Francis Basilica frescoes in Assisi is still widely debated. If experts indeed prove their attribution, one can appreciate Giotto’s genius and technical innovation to the fullest degree.

What is known for sure is that Giotto died in 1337, according to the Villani chronicle. However, the date of his birth is still unclear, with Antonio Pucci’s chronicle version stating that the artist was 70 years old at the moment of death (pointing to 1266/67 as his date of birth), while Giorgio Vasari’s biography of the artist named 1276 as Giotto’s birth year.

Giotto as Cimabue’s Student

One thing that historians agree about is that Giotto learnt from Cimabue. First, the two artists shared remarkably similar stylistic elements and painting techniques. Second, it is notable that Cimabue was an outstanding figure in 13th-century art. His pioneering efforts to revolutionize Medieval art conventions and apply the power of imagination and add dramatic strength to painting are traceable in Giotto’s later works, reinterpreted through his personal prism and artistic experience.

While Cimabue only started the revolutionary trajectory with limited success, Giotto’s further efforts were far more remarkable. The artist paved the way for Renaissance developments by reviving and revisiting classical ideals and achieving a new level of expression through art. Notably, he was one of the first to place humans into the central focus of art, decentering Christian subjects and humanizing them. Though Giotto worked within the religious tradition, his works represent a stark contrast to the long-standing Medieval genre typology with a distinctively human view on the narratives of sacrifice and redemption. These themes can be traced through his early works, the Roman period, and the Padua frescoes. Thus, even though many facts from Giotto’s life, work, and authorship remain unclear or are permanently lost, his figure remains central in the study of Renaissance roots.