The Devils Cast out of Arezza
From Darin's Collection
Puzzle enthusiast and collector
1500 Clementoni (59.2 x 84.3)
The Devils Cast out of Arezza
Giotto
Production Date Unknown
This is one of a few Giotto puzzles produced by Clementoni, but the others have eluded me. The colors and piece quality are amazing.
The Devils Cast Out of Arezzo (also called The Expulsion of the Devils from Arezzo) is one of the celebrated frescoes from Giotto's cycle of the Life of Saint Francis in the Upper Basilica of Saint Francis at Assisi. It was painted around 1297–1300 and illustrates an episode from the life of Saint Francis in which the saint's prayers and the intervention of Brother Sylvester drive the demons from the city of Arezzo.
The scene is particularly notable for Giotto's emerging naturalism and dramatic storytelling. Saint Francis kneels in prayer outside the city while Brother Sylvester raises his arm in a commanding gesture, ordering the demons to depart. The supernatural creatures can be seen flying above the rooftops of Arezzo. Giotto contrasts Francis's quiet spiritual concentration with Sylvester's active gesture, creating a remarkably clear narrative even within the relatively flat medieval setting.
The fresco is important in the development of Western painting because Giotto gives the figures a stronger sense of physical presence, emotion, gesture and spatial interaction than was typical of earlier Byzantine-influenced Italian art. The buildings of Arezzo also provide an early attempt to establish a convincing architectural setting for the story.
The Devils Cast out of Arezza
Giotto
Production Date Unknown
This is one of a few Giotto puzzles produced by Clementoni, but the others have eluded me. The colors and piece quality are amazing.
The Devils Cast Out of Arezzo (also called The Expulsion of the Devils from Arezzo) is one of the celebrated frescoes from Giotto's cycle of the Life of Saint Francis in the Upper Basilica of Saint Francis at Assisi. It was painted around 1297–1300 and illustrates an episode from the life of Saint Francis in which the saint's prayers and the intervention of Brother Sylvester drive the demons from the city of Arezzo.
The scene is particularly notable for Giotto's emerging naturalism and dramatic storytelling. Saint Francis kneels in prayer outside the city while Brother Sylvester raises his arm in a commanding gesture, ordering the demons to depart. The supernatural creatures can be seen flying above the rooftops of Arezzo. Giotto contrasts Francis's quiet spiritual concentration with Sylvester's active gesture, creating a remarkably clear narrative even within the relatively flat medieval setting.
The fresco is important in the development of Western painting because Giotto gives the figures a stronger sense of physical presence, emotion, gesture and spatial interaction than was typical of earlier Byzantine-influenced Italian art. The buildings of Arezzo also provide an early attempt to establish a convincing architectural setting for the story.
