“The Miracle of the Spring,” created by Giotto between 1297 and 1299, is a fresco from the Proto Renaissance art movement. The artwork, measuring 270 x 200 cm, is part of the “Legend of St. Francis” series and is housed in the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi in Assisi, Italy. As a religious painting, it depicts one of the miraculous deeds of St. Francis.
The artwork illustrates a pivotal moment involving St. Francis of Assisi. Set against a mountainous backdrop, St. Francis is shown kneeling in prayer with a halo around his head, emphasizing his sanctity. The rocky landscape, stylized trees, and the dark expanse of the sky accentuate the scene’s solemnity. To the side, two monks accompany St. Francis with one seated astride a humble beast of burden, while a figure in distress is seen drinking from the newly sprung water source—a manifestation of St. Francis’s divine intervention. Giotto’s use of perspective and attention to human emotion serve to highlight the miraculous nature of the event depicted.
