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Giotto: Annotated Bibliography
Baxandall, Michael. Giotto and the Orators: The Humanist Observers of Painting in Italy and
the Discovery of Pictorial Composition, 1350-1450. Oxford University Press, 1986.
Mr. Bandaxall approaches the history of Italian fine arts and performance from both a
comparative and criticizing perspective. This approach enables him to present the 1400
CE art and practices as both authoritative and precise while also maintaining that the
artists lacked the required facility to create graphical pieces than most generations that
followed. This book reveals the early humanists attitudes towards arts and how they made
it parts of their culture and institution. The authors illustration of the intersection
between the humanist literature and the Renaissance aesthetics is quite insightful.
Prof. Bandaxall sets out to trail the development of the Renaissance arts and,
therefore, goes ahead to describe some of the leading personalities who contributed to
this revolution. Giotto di Bondone stands out amongst many as a talented and a visionary
artist. The author narrates his life as an apprentice under the guidance of Master Cimabue
and how he grew up to become an iconic figure in the history of Italian arts. Subtle
comparisons and critiques are also provided for his work, which the author is quick to
agree, were just way ahead of their time.
The book is, however, a challenging read with lengthy Italian quotes from various
Latin writers with close to no translations. The text is also quite informative. Baxandall

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describes the Renaissance, with Giottos existence coming at a time when Italian was not
a fully developed language. The cities spoke substantially different languages, but the
humanist were really trying to create a pre-medieval Latin and were, therefore, readily
employable in Rome. Many artists during this time thus moved from their hometowns to
Rome. This illumination alone makes the book a worthwhile read.
Corrain, Lucia. Giotto and Medieval Art: the lives and Works of the Medieval Artists. Peter
Bedrick Books, 1995.
In the book, Giotto and the Medieval Art, Prof. Corrain takes us through the evolution
of fine and performance arts, from the flat and stylized Byzantine arts to a more
humanistic and graphic Gothic style arts that characterized the Renaissance. According to
her, Giotto di Bondone was at the center of all this transformation. His ingenuity,
undoubtedly, superseded that of his teachers, predecessors, and colleagues of that his
time, and he is still considered the first in a line of the great artist who contributed to the
Renaissance.
Corrain makes the extraordinary Italian's life the springboard for all discussions in this
books; mostly dueling on the times he lived in and the great pieces he crafted. Most
intriguing is a case where the author is giving a comparison of Giottos arts against his
teachers and the other earlier Byzantine artists. Sheer talent and artistic innovation are
clearly evident from this comparison making us further understand how integral Giotto's
works were in the revolution of the arts industry.
The primary limitation of this book as a students guide is in the reproduction of
details in the pictures. The paintings are unfortunately too small making the illustration of
aspects they were intended to highlight quite a trouble. Nonetheless, Pro. Corrain must be

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recognized for her stellar job of providing a full-color illustrations and covering more
grounds than most old art books.