Giovanni Pisano (c. 1250 – c. 1315) was an Italian
sculptor
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
, painter and architect, who worked in the cities of
Pisa,
Siena
Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.
The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centur ...
and
Pistoia.
He is best known for his sculpture which shows the influence of both the
French Gothic and the
Ancient Roman art
The art of Ancient Rome, and the territories of its Republic and later Empire, includes architecture, painting, sculpture and mosaic work. Luxury objects in metal-work, gem engraving, ivory carvings, and glass are sometimes considered to be m ...
.
Henry Moore, referring to his statues for the facade of Siena Cathedral, called him "the first modern sculptor".
History
Born in Pisa, Giovanni Pisano was the son of the famous sculptor
Nicola Pisano. He received his training in the workshop of his father and in 1265–1268 he worked with his father on the
pulpit in
Siena Cathedral
Siena Cathedral ( it, Duomo di Siena) is a medieval church in Siena, Italy, dedicated from its earliest days as a Roman Catholic Marian church, and now dedicated to the Assumption of Mary.
It was the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Siena, and ...
. His next major work with his father was the fountain ''Fontana Maggiore'' in
Perugia
Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia.
The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part ...
(completed 1278). Nicola Pisano is thought to have died either around 1278 or in 1284 when Giovanni took up residence in
Siena
Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.
The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centur ...
. These first works were made in Nicola's style and it is difficult to separate the contributions of the two artists. However the ''Madonna with Child'' can be attributed with certainty to Giovanni, showing a new style with a certain familiarity between Mother and Child.
Giovanni's next work was at
Pisa Cathedral, sculpting the statues in the two rows of traceried gables at the exterior of the Baptistry (1277–1284). The vivacity of these statues is a new confirmation that he had left the serene style of his father behind. Between 1287 and 1296 he was appointed chief architect of
Siena Cathedral
Siena Cathedral ( it, Duomo di Siena) is a medieval church in Siena, Italy, dedicated from its earliest days as a Roman Catholic Marian church, and now dedicated to the Assumption of Mary.
It was the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Siena, and ...
. The architectural design and elegant sculptures for the facade of the cathedral in Siena show his tendency to blend Gothic art with reminders of Roman art. The work was continued after his death, with still greater Gothic elaboration, by
Memmo di Filippuccio.
In 1296 he returned to Pisa to begin work on the Church of San Giovanni. In 1301 he continued his work on the
Pulpit of Sant' Andrea, Pistoia which he had already started in 1297. The pulpit has five reliefs: the Annunciation and Nativity; the Adoration, the Dream of the Magi and the Angel warning Joseph; the
Massacre of the Innocents; the Crucifixion; and the
Last Judgement.
Giovanni's work between 1302 and 1310 at the new pulpit for the Cathedral of Pisa shows his distinct preference for animation in his characters and moved his father's style even further away. This pulpit with its dramatic scenes has become his masterwork. It shows nine scenes from the New Testament, carved in white marble with a
chiaroscuro
Chiaroscuro ( , ; ), in art, is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also a technical term used by artists and art historians for the use of contrasts of light to achi ...
effect. It contains even a bold, naturalistic depiction of a naked Hercules. His figure ''Prudence'' in the pulpit may have been an inspiration for the ''Eve'' in the painting ''
The Expulsion from the Garden of Eden ''by
Masaccio. After the fire of 1595, it was packed away during the redecoration and was not rediscovered and re-erected until 1926.
The church of
San Nicola in Pisa was enlarged between 1297 and 1313 by the
Augustinians, perhaps by the design of Giovanni Pisano. He was also responsible of the façade of
San Paolo a Ripa d'Arno. His last major work dates probably from 1313 when he made a monument in memory of
Margaret of Brabant (who died in 1311) at the request of her husband emperor
Henry VII.
Legacy
One of his pupils was
Giovanni di Balduccio
Giovanni di Balduccio (c. 1290 – after 1339) was an Italian sculptor of the Medieval period.
Life
The artist was born in Pisa, and likely did not train directly with the famous Pisan sculptor Andrea Pisano. He travelled to Milan to hel ...
, who also became a famous sculptor, and the architect and sculptor
Agostino da Siena. He also had an influence on the painter
Pietro Lorenzetti
Pietro Lorenzetti (; – 1348) or Pietro Laurati was an Italian painter, active between c. 1306 and 1345. Together with his younger brother Ambrogio, he introduced naturalism into Sienese art. In their artistry and experiments with three-dimen ...
.
Giorgio Vasari included a biography of Pisano in his book ''
Le vite dei più eccellenti pittori, scultori, e architetti''
The
asteroid ''7313 Pisano'' was named to honour Nicola and Giovanni Pisano.
Gallery
File:Madonna del colloquio, Giovanni Pisano, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo (Pisa).JPG, ''Madonna and Child'' from the cathedral, Pisa (Museo dell'Opera del Duomo de Pisa)
File:Escultures dels Pisano al Museo dell'Opera del Duomo de Siena.JPG, The statues of the facade of Siena Cathedral
Siena Cathedral ( it, Duomo di Siena) is a medieval church in Siena, Italy, dedicated from its earliest days as a Roman Catholic Marian church, and now dedicated to the Assumption of Mary.
It was the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Siena, and ...
, (Museo dell'Opera del Duomo de Siena)
File:Giovanni pisano, il profeta haggai, frammento da facciata duomo siena, 1285-97 ca.JPG, ''The Prophet Haggai'' from Siena Cathedral (V&A, London)
File:Pistoia 200310 038 Crucifixion crop.JPG, ''The Crucifixion'' from the pulpit of Sant' Andreas, Pistoia
File:Giovanni pisano, pulpito di sant'andrea 10 crop.JPG, ''The Annunciation'' from the pulpit of Sant' Andrea, Pistoia
See also
*
Giovanni di Cecco
*
Duccio
Duccio di Buoninsegna ( , ; – ) was an Italian painter active in Siena, Tuscany, in the late 13th and early 14th century. He was hired throughout his life to complete many important works in government and religious buildings around Italy. Du ...
*
Arnolfo di Cambio
Arnolfo di Cambio (c. 1240 – 1300/1310) was an Italian architect and sculptor. He designed Florence Cathedral and the sixth city wall around Florence (1284–1333), while his most important surviving work as a sculptor is the tomb of Cardin ...
References
* Clario Di Fabio, Gianluca Ameri, Francesca Girelli, Giovanni Pisano, Art e Dossier, 376, Firenze-Milano, Giunti Editore 2020
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pisano, Giovanni
1250 births
1315 deaths
13th-century Italian architects
14th-century Italian architects
13th-century Italian sculptors
Italian male sculptors
14th-century Italian sculptors
Sculptors from Tuscany
Gothic sculptors
People from Pisa