Simone Martini: The Artist of the International Style

Simone Martini was a well-known Italian artist of the 14th century. He was born in Sienna in 1284 and died in 1344. He contributed greatly to the International Gothic Style, which was characterized by decorative, delicate, and elegant artwork. In fact, his painting titled ‘The Annunciation with St. Margaret an d St. Ansansus’ follows this style perfectly. The figures are arranged in a balanced pattern and their expressions are soft and delicate. Although his work lacks realism, it does contain aspects of perspective. Simone Martini was influenced by the Gothic styles of the French which he had studied in Italy. Another interesting detail about him is that he was the student of the famous Duccio! During his time, Simone Martini was well recognized and established. He was even commissioned by Robert of Anjou, who was the King of Naples, to paint St Louis of Toulouse. He has painted for Siena’s townhall, the Chapel of St Martin, as well as his friend Francis Petrarch. Although I understand why people of his time liked his work (he represented figures in a harmonious and delicate manner), I am not personally very interested in it. I find his paintings of people and their faces too simple and lacking detail. The faces also look the same to me. I would have liked his work better if he had found a way to incorporate realism into it. Despite this, his work did influence the people of his time and he contributed greatly to the spread of Sienese artwork.

Image Sources:

https://www.wikiart.org/en/simone-martini

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Simone_Martini_truecolor.jpg

Research Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Simone-Martini

https://www.italian-renaissance-art.com/Simone-Martini.html

http://www.travelingintuscany.com/art/simonemartini.htm

http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/old-masters/simone-martini.htm