Wearing a garment identical to that of Hope, Charity also possesses a similar face, which, however, is not an exact replica. Nuances seep into Giotto di Bondone ’s art and will eventually spread out into the tremendous diversification of high renaissance and following art trends. The woman humbly smiles and bends slightly backwards, producing a set of graceful and plastic movements. She balances easily standing on a few sacks of grain or flour; her posture, though firmly stable is somewhat dance-like — she seems like a buxom peasant, yet not without a characteristic elegance. The basket symmetrically counters the image of God the father in an additional symbolical correlation of fertility and abundance with divinity. Her gaze and thoughts are directed towards the deity, as far away as possible from the supplies she carries and treads upon — an indication of readiness to part with them, give them away for free, or for a spiritual retribution.
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I once had a hard time figuring out the meaning of the word “plasticity” when reading an essay about Donatello’s sculpture. I understood the encyclopedic meaning but couldn’t apply it purposefully to the image: it remained a sort of a mystery to me, and so has that entire crucial characteristic of the whole renaissance movement. But eventually Giotto kindly came to the rescue; just as some words light up with full meaning after you encounter them in a different book, I grasped “plasticity” when looking at Giotto’s virtues and vices painted on the walls of Capella degli Scrovegni, Padua. That they are essentially stone sculptures rendered in paint only emphasizes the link to Donatello’s plasticity, and ultimately my own understanding of the term. And it comes to full light in these minimalistic by artistic necessity figures — there is little movement, but all of it epitomizes early renaissance plasticity.
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Once again, the sheer physicality and the rhythmic movements of the gleaning process build up to a stable emotional effect — subtler, to my mind, than a direct one would be, ensuing from more detailed facial expressions. The three figures blend well with the surroundings: they are just another group of workers; in the distance we see yet another one. Because of this commonness, the artist’s choice appears more random than purposeful. The women are a part of the whole, and not, as other interpreters suggest, a grand exposition of peasantry and farming. The background constantly seeps from in between and above the gleaners — in a way, it also encloses and traps, perhaps even stifles the workers in grave allusion on peasant life. It’s a familiar but not necessarily friendly environment. I find this scene mundane thematically but intricate artistically. The merit of this piece lies in the dance-like composition rather than in heroic symbolism, as other viewings suggest.
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This is a very dynamic image: the bodies of the workers are sharply bent towards different, sometimes opposing directions, creating a swirling rhythm that dominates the scene completely. Labor — the activity of logging — becomes the protagonist; faces are covered to let the bodily movements speak. The three men form a triangle that serves as an abstract geometrical formula for the sweaty dance they perform. Every part of the body engages in the process. The leg muscles of the central figure are bulging, the shoulders and the back of the man on the left are fully engaged and the torso of the farthest logger is strained to the maximum. The giant trees further emphasize the energy involved in their cutting; they are formidable opponents and give in slowly and without the enthusiasm of the men. The monumental struggle between the two sides reveals the hardships of this livelihood, but also marks it as aesthetically and symbolically meaningful. A sense of pride and self-respect hovers above these hard workers.
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