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Cimabue, the genius Italian painter eclipsed by Giotto

CIMABUE-MAESTRA-APRES-RESTAURATION

Cimabue, Maestà, après restauration.

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Caroline Becker - published on 02/02/25
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Long overshadowed by Giotto, Cimabue, a major painter of 13th-century Italy, revolutionized religious art by breaking free from rigid codes of Byzantine icons.

Only a dozen of his works are known to exist, along with a few frescoes and mosaics in Assisi and Florence. Almost nothing is known about this 13th-century Italian painter, and even the meaning of his nickname, Cimabue (pronounced chee-mah-BOO-eh), remains a mystery.

CIMABUE CROSS
Crucifix by Cimabue

Who was he really? It's his works, the only witnesses to his genius, that allow us to get to know him better. They reveal the traces of a visionary artist, at the crossroads of Byzantine influences and the beginnings of the Renaissance.

Cimabue, The Flagellation of Christ (~1280)

The 1280s: A period of artistic effervescence

When Cimabue was born, Italian religious art was still echoing unchanging dogmas. Byzantine iconography, imbued with rigid solemnity, still reigned in Italian churches and monasteries. Yet something was changing in the air of the 13th century. A quest was born for an art that was no longer content to represent the divine, but sought to make it palpable, almost human.

The Virgin and Child from a 1280 polyptych by Cimabue
Cimabue’s “The Virgin and Child With Two Angels" (or "Little Maestà")

Cimabue broke the rules and introduced what had never been seen before: the tension of muscles, the expression of pain and sadness. Faces awaken, gestures become tender. In his works, figures are no longer frozen in eternity; they breathe and come to life. The Virgin gently bows her head, the Infant Jesus spontaneously stretches out his arms towards his mother. 

Gone are the frozen expressions that distance the divine figures from our reality. Cimabue paints them as he sees them, as realistically as possible. He no longer paints only for the eyes, but also for the heart.

A belated rediscovery

Today, thanks to an exceptional exhibition organized by the Louvre Museum, Cimabue is finally receiving the recognition he deserves. Two paintings, whose restoration was completed at the end of 2024, form the backbone of the exhibition.

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Cimabue, La Maestà, after restoration (1285-1288)

The first, La Maestà, is a monumental Madonna and Child brought back from Napoleon's campaigns. It marks a turning point in the humanization of the saintly figures and the illusionism of the spatial rendering, notably with the throne seen at an angle. Its recent restoration has revealed previously unseen details, such as the subtlety of the colors and the luminous brilliance of the blues. The colors, previously faded by the passage of time, now shine again. They are not merely decorative, but manifest themselves like a silent prayer. The transparency of the veils, the richness of the halos, the nuances of the drapery, all tell of a quest for the divine.

Cimabue, The Mocking of Christ, after restoration

The second, The Mocking of Christ, was acquired by the Louvre in 2023 after its rediscovery in a private home in 2019. It illustrates a poignant episode in the life of Jesus. This painting is part of a triptych whose three known panels are brought together for the first time in the exhibition, in collaboration with the National Gallery in London and the Frick Collection in New York.

Cimabue, by dressing the figures in the contemporary clothing of his time, anchors this scene in everyday life, reflecting Franciscan ideals of a more immediate spirituality.

The glory of the master eclipsed by the pupil

Cimabue's religious paintings are no longer simply a frozen object of veneration, but a bridge between heaven and earth. This was his revolution. By infusing sacred figures with humanity, the Italian artist brought the divine closer to the human, ushering in a new era in the history of religious painting.

Cimabue, Trois panneaux provenant d’un diptyque, vers 1285-1290, peint sur bois, La Maesta - La Dérision du Christ - la Flagellation
Cimabue, three panels from a diptych, ~1285-1290, painted on wood: the small Maesta, The Mocking of Christ, and The Flagellation.

Although Cimabue was a trailblazer, his name was soon forgotten in favor of Giotto, presumed to be his pupil. Although Giotto undoubtedly perfected Cimabue's legacy, the depth of his compositions, the liveliness of his expressions, and the tension of his bodies were already present in Cimabue's canvases. This historical misunderstanding is partly due to the aura of Giotto, whose works enjoyed far greater distribution and recognition.

Today, Cimabue is gradually regaining the place he deserves.

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