The Vision of the Thrones 1299

Curator: We're now standing before Giotto's fresco, "The Vision of the Thrones," created around 1299. It's part of the cycle in the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi. This tempera fresco shows us a mystical scene. Editor: What strikes me is the stillness, a serene yet slightly unsettling calm. All those floating, empty thrones up top give it a wonderfully dreamlike feel. Curator: They are quite arresting, aren't they? Note Giotto's emphasis on material details: the construction of the wooden frames, the cushioning, and the implied weight of the forms in relation to the supplicants. It begs the question: for whom are these thrones meant? Editor: That is the question, isn’t it? There's almost an invitation to project meaning onto those chairs, as though waiting for their divine occupants. The blues behind are fantastic and intense. It’s very moody but has the feeling that divine inspiration could hit any minute! Curator: Indeed. Also consider the layers of meaning behind the fresco medium itself. Plaster, pigments ground by hand— the social labor inherent in the work is immense, reflecting not only the artist's skill but the communal effort to produce this visual theology. Editor: Oh yes! And look how grounded St. Francis is here despite everything going on. Even kneeling, there is something about the earthly texture of his clothing which highlights his humanism. A beautiful and powerful touch, really! Curator: Yes, the rough, tactile fabric emphasizes a Franciscan ideal. The labor to produce such a piece, its consumption by a devout public, are key elements. But beyond subject and patronage, you can clearly note the move to Renaissance humanism. Editor: It really has been something, looking deeper. Curator: Agreed. Looking at these pieces we start to build such better connection to pasts and our contemporary relationship to them.