Materielle Welten – Der virtuelle Salon am IMAREAL
Material Worlds – The Virtual Salon at IMAREAL

Mittwoch, 10. Januar 2024 | 17:00 Uhr (Mitteleuropäische Zeit)
Wednesday, 10th of January 2024 | 17:00 (Central European Time)

 

Fictive Materiality and Real Presence in Giotto’s Arena Chapel

Laura Jacobus, Birkbeck College, University of London

The paper reveals the existence of fragments of Giotto’s original paintings in the chancel and apse of the Arena Chapel. These feature fictive materials of brick and wood, a surprising choice in such a prestigious location. The reasons for this choice are considered: were the frescoed fictive materials a temporary surface, or a Lenten one? What, if anything, did they signify? The paper argues that the choice of fictive materials is consistent with the Chapel’s all-embracing semiotic system and is in fact fundamental to it. The overlooked fragments provide a new key to understanding Giotto’s decoration of the Arena Chapel, and perhaps to chancel decorations more widely.

Vortragssprache / Language: English

Laura Jacobus is a life member of Birkbeck College, London University, whose research focusses on fourteenth-century Italian art. The author of many articles and of the monograph ‚Giotto and the Arena Chapel: art, architecture and experience‘ (2008), she is currently working on a trilogy of books about that monument.

The lecture will take place online via Teams. Please use our conference tool to register for the event. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us via sekretariat.imareal@plus.ac.at.

Read more about the lecture series in this blog post (English version).