Artist Study: Giotto

Giotto di Bondone is the subject of our first Artist Study.  Please read this post to find out more about the artists we plan to study in this series. We invite you to join us!

 

Summary of Giotto di Bondone

Although not much is known about Giotto’s life,  he is a notable artist because he is known as the father of modern painting and one one of the world’s greatest artists.  His most notable contribution to art was his use of space and perspective.  Until Giotto, paintings were flat with no movement or background.  He was also the first European artist to show expression and emotion in his subjects.This was especially important since the majority of people during this time period could not read, so art was used as a way of teaching religious stories.

In addition to being a talented artist,  Giotto was also an architect.  He designed the famous bell tower in Florence, Italy, which still carries the name, Giotto’s Tower.

 

Art Lesson:

For our art lesson we painted a piece inspired by Berlinghiero’s Madonna & Child.  In this way the children could explore how art was performed BEFORE Giotto’s contribution while also exploring painting religious themed art, as Giotto did.

Teaching Resources:

 

Books:

Getting to know the world’s greatest Artists: Giotto

Giotto (coffee table art book)

A boy named Giotto (children’s picture book)

 

Printables:

Giotto Biography Page

Giotto Picture Study (3 pages)

Generic picture study page (cut out your own photo and attach)