Two manners and one painter: Giotto

Giotto was pinging in Assisi about 1300 and one historical art man gazed him and his frescos, and he approached to him and asked: “Why Vasari has written that you have excluded the Greek manner of painting and you have took alone Latin manners”, Giotto seen insistently him and: “Who is Vasari?”, the other historical art man smiled and: “What year are you living?”, and Giotto: “In 1300”, thence the art looked around and he seen very much painters that are painting on walls of church of saint Francis, and : “Vasari is going to be to future”, and Giotto: “Future?”, and historical art man: “Yes in 1556 he write the Lives of painters, sculptors and architects”, and Giotto, while he was continuing the painting: “I don’t know him, but can you explain what is the Greek manner and Latin please?”, and historical art man: “Simple it is you manner, this is you have translated the life in painting, the three dimensions, the body are existent in painting and it aren’t alone the ideal figures, imaginary but…”, Giotto brook the discourse and: “I have took this manner from Rome(Figs.1-3)”, and historical arte man: “When do you have come to Rome?”, and Giotto: “Never, but my master Cimabue, this Cenni di Pepo, was in Rome in 1278, a notarial act has his name in this year, and he has tool what was the Roman painting, and I asked to him if I could translate this style on Assisi, and he has answered that I can try, and I have made it!”, and historical art man: “Why other painters hasn’t followed you?”, and Giotto: “Because they are older than me, and the old generations refuse always the news; because in conformity with their code, or style, they prefer the secure style, that their generation and theirs masters has taught, they aren’t accustomed to think the news, because they are the past, as I am going to be the past to future centuries, and the future generations tell: “Giotto worked so because in his time it is the style”, and historical art man: “The future generations, or now they tell it?”, Giotto gazed him and he asked: “May  am I died?”, and historical art man: “No certainly, but your style is going to die for future painting”, and Giotto: “I hope that much painters improve it, but I have given the begin. By the way but this mister Vasari where is from or better where is going to be from?”, and historical art man: “From Arezzo, he is Tuscan”, and Giotto: “Hence he consider every Tuscan artist a better than other”, and historical art man: “It seems that you have read Vasari”, and Giotto: “No, certainly but I am Tuscan and I know the Tuscans, they are the better always”. Historical art man: “You have took indirectly from Rome, but you have improved this style!”, and Giotto: “Yes, as future generations do to my style, Peter Cavallini(Fig.4), for example is better in Rome and peer to me”, because also his generation that is my same, is master, but Rome is scant ready to news in painting; whereby he is going to be less fortunate than me, because we must consider also where an artist work, in Rome are traditionalist and they prefer the ancient style”, and historical art man: “Yes, but during the 16^th century the Tuscan artists are going to be request very much”, and Giotto gazed the historical art man: “Yes but now we are in 1300, and the generations are again traditionalist, thence Rome has begun the evolution of style and I have improve it, and the future generations improve what I and we has made, this is history. Excuse me but I must go to sleep because by now is later”; historical art man looked out and the sunset, and he got out and gone to other pictorial worksite.

Alessandro Lusana      

  

Fig.1

Fig.2

Fig.3

Fig.4