“The Death of the Virgin,” created by the artist Giotto around the year 1310, is a significant piece of Proto Renaissance artwork. Painted on poplar with tempera, it measures 179 x 75 cm and falls under the genre of religious painting. This artwork can be found in the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin, Germany, where it continues to be an exemplar of the artistic movement’s contribution to the development of Western art.
The artwork exhibits a central scene of the Virgin Mary laid on a bier, surrounded by a gathering of apostles and holy figures who are mourning her passing. A noteworthy feature is the architectural angling of the composition’s background which correlates with the apex of the gathered figures, creating a sense of unity and focus on the Virgin’s figure at the center. The emotional expressions and gestures of the surrounding figures reveal Giotto’s advances in human representation and narrative capability. The color palette is dominated by earthy tones alongside the rich hues of the figures’ robes, contrasting with the gold-leafed halos signifying their saintly nature. The gravity of the scene is palpable, conveying the solemnity of this significant moment in Christian iconography. Giotto’s treatment of space, volume, and perspective showcases a pioneering move towards greater realism in art, a hallmark of the Proto Renaissance era.
