In the 14th century, the schools of painting in Siena and Florence were regarded as trend-setting for European painting. The most important representatives were Duccio di Buoninsegna (ca. 1255 – ca. 1318) and Giotto di Bondone (ca. 1267 – 1337), who exemplified a new type of painting: Figures show emotions, they are placed with spatial understanding, dramatic narrative forms find their way into painting, the perspective of meaning loses relevance. It was the beginning of naturalistic painting, which developed further in the following centuries. The Sienese school is considered the more conservative of the two, adhering more to Gothic stylistic features. With the comprehensive exhibition Siena: The Rise of Painting, 1300 – 1350, the National Gallery in London transports visitors to Siena in the Trecento period: paintings, glasswork, illuminated manuscripts, ivory sculptures and carpets bear witness to the new quality of craftsmanship of the time. The more than 100 exhibits are on display from March 8 to June 22.
A special highlight is the collection of Simone Martini's (ca. 1284 – 1344) Orisini polyptych. Martini was most likely a pupil of Duccio. The multi-part altarpiece was brought to France early after its creation in the 1330s, where it was considered one of the most famous works of art due to its synthesis of the Sienese and Florentine schools and exerted a lasting influence on French painting. The four panels of the polyptych, painted on both sides, are usually divided between the Louvre in Paris, the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp and the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin. For the first time in several centuries, they will be reunited in the London exhibition.
