Italian artist Cimabue is regarded by many as a legendary figure in art history. This said, during his lifetime he did not bask in the glory due such an evolutionary creator. Creating at the cusp of an artistic period, the works of Cimabue lent to the popularization of naturalism and realism in art. While still relying on the Byzantine style most common of the period, Cimabue's alterations began to catch on, leading the way for the artistic movements to come — namely, the Italian Renaissance.
Cimabue is the first artist to be written about in Giorgio Vasari's Lives of the Most Excellent Italian Painters, Sculptors, and Architects. Vasari was, among other practices, an author who was the first to use the term Renaissance in print. He writes of Cimabue that he "was to shed the first light on the art of painting" — solidifying his position, even among early art historians, as a pioneering figure.
A Life Largely Undocumented
The documented biography of Cimabue is one that is lacking in many areas. It is believed that he was born in 1240, in Florence, Italy, and died in 1302 at the age of 62, in Pisa, Italy. Commonly known as Cimabue, the Italian artist was born Bencivieni di Pepo. The name Cimabue is best translated as "Bullheaded" — and according to commenters of the time, this was a rather fitting title. There are declarations of Cimabue's destruction of his own work, no matter the value, in the face of any faults found by others or by the artist himself. Perhaps seen as a waste in the eyes of some, it is in part the result of such egregious acts that Cimabue distinguished himself from the many anonymous artists of the Middle Ages.
"He was to shed the first light on the art of painting.
— Giorgio Vasari
While the stylistic approach to his work broke away from the mold, Cimabue's physical means of production fell consistently in line with what was common of the time. Rather than a pre-stretched canvas, Cimabue worked on primarily self-made panels of wood. Egg tempera was the paint medium of choice through much of history, until the 15th century with the invention of oil paints — a mixture of colored pigments and the yolk of an egg, which acts as a binding agent. While egg tempera works wonderfully for permanency, it is quite difficult to work with as a result of its extremely rapid drying time.
The Crucifixes That Changed Everything
Cimabue's earliest work is believed to be a Crucifix at the Basilica of San Dominico in Arezzo, Italy, dated sometime around the year 1270. This piece alone illustrates the advancements which Cimabue was making, both in the technical process and the emotional presentation of his content. Jesus is depicted on the cross with greater evidence of pain and suffering than had been focused on in more traditional depictions — achieved through strong contortions in his body, along with a heavy lean toward the left. Cimabue works a deeper level of expression into this piece, bringing in a more focused humanistic element resulting in a breakdown of any barrier between the viewer and Jesus' suffering.
In Santa Trinita Maestà, an altarpiece created for the church of Santa Trinita in Florence (now residing in the Uffizi Gallery), we find that Cimabue furthers his altering of Byzantine traditions. The image focuses on the Virgin Mary holding Jesus in her lap, surrounded by angels, with Jeremiah, Abraham, David, and Isaiah framed below. The luminescence of the gold would have given the painting an ability to pop in what would have been a rather dark church — symbolically representing the light of Heaven.
Crucifix · Coppo di Marcovaldo · for comparison
Christ Mocked · Cimabue · Sold for $26.6M in 2019
A Legacy Beyond Price
On October 27th, 2019, a piece by Cimabue set the record high sales price for a medieval painting sold at auction. Christ Mocked — a 10.2" by 8" painting created with tempera and gold leaf on poplar panel — was found in the kitchen of an elderly French woman and sold for $26.6 million to an anonymous buyer.
Beyond the legacy left behind through his paintings, the impact Cimabue had on his fellow artists helped lead an irreversible evolution in the world of art. These masters include Giotto, attributed with the creation of the Florentine School, a movement from which eventually came household names such as Michelangelo, Raphael, and Leonardo da Vinci.
To reach the status of master in any discipline, one's technical ability must of course be of the highest quality, though their endeavors must continue beyond simple creation. Cimabue, while perhaps not securing his name on the common tongue quite like Leonardo da Vinci or Vincent van Gogh, is a master in his own right. There is skill in creation, but there is mastery in the provision of evolutionary influence.