PADOVA – The Scrovegni Chapel: face to face with the frescos by Giotto

After an eight months long restoration work, the frescos painted by the famous master Giotto, between 1303 and 1305, in the Scrovegni Chapel, in Padova, seem to have a new life. To watch them face to face from the restorer’s scaffolding, as the visitors could, during the restore works period between 2001 and 2002, was an unique experience. In fact a lots of the interesting particulars are not perfectly visible during a normal visit from the floor level. For example the scenes that describe the Hell, and recall the Hell description written by the poet Dante in his “Divina Commedia”. Or the delicacy of “The kiss of Anna and Gioacchino”, and the dramatic force of “The Slaughter of the Innocents”. The frescos are a tale by pictures to read from the top to the bottom: from the stories of the Virgin, to the death and resurrection of Christ and the central picture, which represents Enrico Scrovegni giving the Chapel to Padova town. It was told that Enrico Scrovegni had built the Chapel, to expiate his father’s Rinaldo usury sins. Anyway Giotto, by his artistic talent, gave to the world heritage an inestimable description of the Christian medieval life conception.

To know more:
www.cappelladegliscrovegni.it
www.giottoagliscrovegni.it

Reportage: 24 photos on CD-Rom