Simone Martini
Simone Martini was an Italian painter based in Sienna during the 14th Century and, like many Gothic artists, his paintings depicted mostly aspects of Christianity. As writer Andrew Martindale states, “Simone was a true Sienese painter trained in the workshop of Duccio…” (Martindale I, 1). This style influence can clearly be seen in Martini’s work, especially in his work on the Maesta (fig 1), one of his most famous paintings.
However, the Maesta was created in a unique way. As Martindale says, instead of fully embracing the religious aspects of Christianity, Martini displayed a more secular and materialistic presence (Martindale I, 2). In my opinion, this carries over to a lot of his art, including Road to Cavalry (fig 2), The Miracle of the Child (fig 3), and Guidoriccio da Fogliano (fig 4). These paintings show a lot more livery and entertainment, rather than focussing on depicting the story accurately as most Gothic artists chose to do.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5: Annunciation with St. Margaret and St. Ansanus
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Works Cited
Martindale, Andrew. “Martini, Simone.” Grove Art Online. January 01, 2003. Oxford University Press,. Date of access 23 Sep. 2018, <http:////www.oxfordartonline.com/groveart/view/10.1093/gao/9781884446054.001.0001/oao-9781884446054-e-7000054737>