We enter the Scovegni Chapel. Its nave is 21 metres long, 8 metres across and 12 metres high. It was frescoed entirely by Giotto between 1302 and 1305. On the side walls are 34 scenes on three levels, with stories of Mary and the life of Christ. At the base, a faux-marble wainscot displays allegories of Vices and Virtues. In the triumphal arch are the Father Eternal and the Annunciation. On the back wall is the Universal Judgement. The blue vaulted ceiling is adorned with 4000 eight-pointed stars. We view the cycle, scene by scene : we identify the figures and follow their gestures and actions, the relationships between characters. In this way we enter into the matter of work istelf, the innovations of Giotto’s art, and his way of showing reality, nature and feeling. We follow his history, to discover together the world of the early 14th century. In its everyday dimensions – its settings, objects, modes of dress – and its visions, fears and expressions of truth.
