Editing Italian art (section)

== Medieval art ==
[[File:Padova Cappella degli Scrovegni Innen Langhaus West 4.jpg|thumb|300px|Interior of the [[Scrovegni Chapel]], [[Padua]], {{circa|1305}}]]

Throughout the [[Middle Ages]], Italian art primarily took the form of architectural decoration, especially frescoes and mosaics. [[Byzantine art]] in Italy was characterized by a highly formalized and refined aesthetic, marked by standardized iconography, stylized figures, and the lavish use of gold and vivid color.

Until the 13th century, Italian art remained largely regional in character, shaped by a combination of local traditions and influences from both Western Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean. Around 1250, however, artistic developments across different Italian regions began to exhibit shared characteristics, leading to a growing sense of unity and the emergence of distinctively original styles.

=== Italo-Byzantine art ===

{{Main|Italo-Byzantine}}

Following the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the Eastern Roman Empire—later known as the [[Byzantine Empire]]—continued to thrive for nearly a thousand years, with its capital at [[Constantinople]].<ref>[http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/byzantium/index.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110817013945/http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/byzantium/index.html|date=17 August 2011}} Byzantium. ''Fordham University.'' Accessed 6 October 2011.</ref> Byzantine artisans were frequently employed on major artistic projects throughout Italy, and the influence of Byzantine aesthetics led to the development of the [[Italo-Byzantine]] style, which persisted in various forms into the 14th century.

The Italo-Byzantine style typically refers to religious paintings that imitate standard Byzantine [[icon]]ography but were executed by Italian artists without formal training in Byzantine techniques. These works often feature subjects such as the [[Madonna and Child]], rendered on [[gold ground]] panels. They introduced the format of small, portable framed paintings to Western Europe and played a central role in the devotional practices of the period.

This style dominated Italian painting until the late 13th century, when artists like [[Cimabue]] and [[Giotto]] began to forge a more naturalistic and emotionally expressive approach, particularly in Florence. Nevertheless, Italo-Byzantine painting continued to be produced in some regions and religious contexts well into the 15th century and beyond.<ref>Drandaki, Anastasia, "A Maniera Greca: content, context and transformation of a term," ''Studies in Iconography'', vol. 35, 2014, pp. 39–41, 48–51.</ref>

=== Duecento ===
{{Main|Duecento}}
[[File:San Francesco Cimabue.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Cimabue]]'s ''[[Maestà]]'', [[Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi|Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi]], {{circa|1290}}]]

Duecento is the Italian term referring to the 13th century, a formative period in Italian cultural and artistic history. During this time, [[Gothic architecture]], which had originated in northern Europe, began to spread into Italy, particularly in the northern regions. However, Italian Gothic developed distinctive local variations, often more restrained and less vertically ambitious than its northern counterparts.

Two major religious orders—the [[Dominican Order|Dominicans]], founded by [[Saint Dominic]], and the [[Franciscan Order|Franciscans]], founded by [[Francis of Assisi]]—gained widespread popularity and financial support in this period. These mendicant orders undertook extensive church-building projects, often adopting simplified versions of Gothic architecture suited to their preaching missions and vows of poverty.

The use of large-scale [[fresco]] cycles became widespread during the Duecento, as frescoes were both cost-effective and useful for conveying religious narratives to largely illiterate congregations. A landmark example is the [[Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi]], a complex structure comprising two superimposed churches built on a hillside and begun shortly after Francis's canonization in 1228. The basilica was adorned with frescoes by many of the leading painters of the period, including [[Cimabue]], [[Giotto di Bondone|Giotto]], [[Simone Martini]], [[Pietro Lorenzetti]], and possibly [[Pietro Cavallini]].

These artistic developments laid the groundwork for the innovations of the [[Trecento]] and the later [[Italian Renaissance]].

===Trecento===
{{Main|Trecento}}
[[File:Duccio maesta1021.jpg|thumb|300px|The main panel of the ''[[Maestà (Duccio)|Maestà]]'' by [[Duccio|Duccio di Buoninsegna]], 1308–1311]]

Trecento is the Italian term referring to the 14th century, a pivotal period in the development of Italian culture and art. It is often regarded as the beginning of the [[Italian Renaissance]], or more specifically, the [[Proto-Renaissance]], a transitional phase that laid the groundwork for the innovations of the 15th century.

The most significant painter of the Trecento was [[Giotto di Bondone]], whose work marked a decisive break from the stylized forms of the Italo-Byzantine tradition, introducing greater naturalism, expressive emotion, and a sense of three-dimensional space.

The [[Sienese School]] of painting also flourished during this period and was arguably the most prominent artistic center in Italy in the 14th century. Key figures included [[Duccio di Buoninsegna]], whose ''Maestà'' is a landmark of early Italian panel painting; [[Simone Martini]], known for his refined Gothic elegance; [[Lippo Memmi]]; and the brothers [[Ambrogio Lorenzetti|Ambrogio]] and [[Pietro Lorenzetti]], who expanded narrative complexity and spatial experimentation in fresco.

In sculpture, notable artists included [[Arnolfo di Cambio]] and [[Tino di Camaino]], both pupils of [[Giovanni Pisano]], as well as [[Bonino da Campione]].