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| Giotto - The Holy Innocents |
Giotto, called Giotto di Bondone (1266/7 – January 8, 1337), was an Italian artist born near Florence in the latter part of the thirteenth century. If we take into consideration the times in which he worked, Giotto is one of the greatest of all artists. He was the son of a laborer. It has been thought that he was led to study art by Cimabue who noticed the boy drawing sheep as he herded them, but now he is believed to have been a pupil of the Roman school. His pictures are remarkable for the grace and naturalness of their figures and for their beautiful coloring. Most of his work is religious in character, in accord with the spirit of the age; he decorated part of the church of St. Francis at Assisi, the entire arena chapel at Padua, and part of St. Peter's at Rome with wonderful paintings. His pupils spread his style throughout all Italy; no other man has affected Italian art as greatly as Giotto. In architecture and sculpture he did not achieve so great a fame as in painting.
