The Paintings

Enthroned Madonna and Child Byzantine Byzantine, 13th C more info

The Nativity with the Prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel Duccio Sienese, c. 1255 - 1318 more info

Madonna and Child Giotto Florentine, 1266 - 1337 more info

Questions

1. How are the backgrounds of each painting similar?
2. Who are the subjects of the paintings?
3. Where might these paintings originally have been located?
4. How realistic or natural do the figures look?
5. Would you like to read general questions for looking at art?

Internet Resources
Style & artists:

• About Byzantine Iconography from Byzantinearts.com
• Another Brief Introduction
• Online Icons: Byzantine images

More examples:

• Look at Byzantine Icons
• Works of Art Metropolitan Museum of Art

Historical or cultural issues

• Byzantine Civilization - from the Embassy of Greece
• The Museum of Byzantine Culture
• Daily life and worship from Mount Athos
• The Byzantine Studies Page

Current versions

• Icon articles by Aidan Hart, modern icon painter
• Celebrity Caricatures

Coming to an Opinion
Now that you have studied the three paintings by looking, questioning, and exploring related Internet resources, it's time to show what you've discovered. Fill in the fields below, then click the "I Fear No Eras" button to post your page. Print out, present, and discuss your ideas with other art historians.