• Venetian architecture of the 11th century was the full and vivid flower of the powerful republic which, in close contact with the art of the Byzantine Empire, fashioned itself 'on the Oriental without, however, rejecting many forms of the Roman decadence existing in Ravenna and Istria. It also embraced the new arrivals from Lombardy by way of Verona. The basilica of San Marco, rebuilt in the sec ond half of the 11th century, demonstrates in the highest degree the importance of Byzan tine art to Venice. Romanesque architecture developed early in Tuscany. Pisa, a flourishing republic in 1063, constructed her own cathedral as Venice had done and about the same time that San Marco was built. In 1013 Lorenzo began the noble basilica on the hill of San Mimato and also his baptistry: bel Sax Giovanni,* be reconstructed the ancient cathe dral, or church, of the abbey of Fiesole and erected the ancient parish church of Saint An drew in Empoli. There were not many exam ples of Romanesque architecture in Latium. In Umbrian architecture Romanesque charac teristics predominate, as they did in and about Rome. The most complete 11th century Ro manesque structure in the Marches is S. Maria de Portoitovo; but the most splendid is the cathedral of S. Ciriaco at Ancona, restored in the 13th century. In Apulia the earliest archi tectural efforts were made by the Benedictines. In Campania, and notably in Caserba Ventria, we find Arabic and Norman forms united as in Sicilian churches and parts of Apulian cathe drals. The crown of Norman-Sicilian art is the cathedral of Monreale.
Romanesque sculpture developed in north ern Italy in the cathedrals of Emilia under Wiligehno and Nicolao; and Benedetto Ante lami attained considerable eminence as, did also the sculptors of Verona and Venice, who re stored the early Christian types. In Tuscany its development was retarded and in Latium (Lazio) it became decorative under the guid ance of its sculptors and of the Cosmati, who supplied ecclesiastical embellishments. In the time of Frederic II it flourished in Campania, Apulia and Sicily. During this monarch's reign the Gothic style prevailed in Apulia, the Basili cata and Abruzzi; and in the 12th century it became incorporated into the life, traditions and landscape of all Italy. The influence of the Gothic style was disseminated in Italy and Sicily through the instrumentality of the Cister• clans. Its starting points were S. Maria d'Arbona and Fossanova. From out the Sta dium Artist's of monasteries came artificers, who everywhere introduced the Gothic. Cister cian enthusiasm spread to other orders; and their themes and elements endured until schools and masters of a new art blended them, where• upon they became extinct. The Gothic was thus expanded and consolidated until square and plummet passed from the monks' hands into the laymen's.
In the 13th century (Dugento)• pictorial art was still in its infancy. Human sentiments could scarcely be recognized as overcoming the rigidity of the material used to depict them; yet common objects became motives, supplant ing church symbols: the sweet, everyday events of life instead of formal representations of abstractions; and the flower of youth was sub stituted for Romanesque asceticism. Love of nature was manifest from the beginning of the 13th century in Saint Francis of Assisi s ‘Can tide 'of .the and this love became more and more potent. But in the new art one looked' in vain for the cell of reeds of Saint Francis, the poverty that was his bride and the cornerstone, reality. The monk of Assisi talked of love, and art responded in her own fashion by erecting over the remains of the saint the most beautiful house of prayer in the world.. Il Beam (Fra Angelico), Margari
tone and Ginuta attempted to portray it; but art was not yet competent to describe its pro portions; it had no words or phrases to express them. From Bertinghieri to Orlandi, from Ginuta to Rainerio d'Ugolino, from Margari tone to Guido da Siena there is a slow pro gression of low •forms. In vain does modern criticism seek to exalt Guido da Siena and make him the representative of the Renaissance by boasting of his pictorial palimpsest in the public palace of Siena. In the 13th century Roma docet! Torriti created more splendid mosaics; Pietro Cavallini created with his mo saics and frescoes a new art with an old Roman soul; Filippo Rusuti introduced contemporary costumes into themosaics of Santa Maria Mag giore; Giovanni di Cosma, in•his sculptures and enamels, makes the latter brilliant with cosmatic forms and uses roped or twisted columns in the façade 'of an edifice. The Cosmati in the 13th century in Rome was a family of workers in mosaic and tempera. Among these masters we find Cimabue, whose name was Gio vanni di Pepe, who is usually regarded as the -founder, the father, of Italian painting. In Assisi, in the calvary of the greater basilica he created the *Drama of Golgotha.* At the close of the heroic period, wherein Cimabue, Pietro Cavallini and Toriti were the great trio, mod ern art began with Giotto, pupil of Cimabue, and influenced by N. Pisano the sculptor whose style• was, later, frequently imitated. Giotto is the first free painter of truth, of life. In the basilica of Assisi he rejuvenated everything, giving free play to his emotional nature, taking advantage of fleeting impulses of sentiment, determining the characters of men and of things. He continued his work of restoration at Rome, Florence and Padua; again at Assisi; at Naples and again at Florence and at Milan, crowning the efforts of the past and becoming the forerunner of those of the future. His genius dominated the 14th century (Trecento). A whole constellation of artists revolved in his luminous orbit. Giottism is the name of the Florentine style pervading the works of Giotto, Gaddi, Oreagna, Fra Angelico and Gozzoli. It was killed by Masaccio. Throwing aside the royal mantles .4-- Byzantine accoutrements Giotto draped his figures in the humble garb of the- people. He hearkened to the voices of souls, to the whisper of sentiment, to the cry of human passions. Giotto, like Dante, por trayed with 'rapid strokes living emotions; now representing Magdalen regenerated by grace, now the blessed Francis who loved the sun, the plants, all his fellow-creatures,— painting the rock on- which he rested, the dawn which chased away the darkness and the birds who flew about him who would not injure them. In the church of Arena at Padua, Giotto depicted the Life of Mary (aumile e pia pin the creatura*: pious and humble than any from the joys of maternity to the sorrows of exile; from her atrocious sufferings to her everlasting joys. In Santa Croce at Florence he depicted John the Baptist, who trembled not before the tyrant and died praying. Saint John the Evangelist, who rose to a contemplation of the mysteries of the hereafter, was another inspiration to his brush, and in the palace of the Capitano at Florence, Giotto painted God sitting in judg ment on the Florentines, both lowly and great, surrounded by a chorus of citizens, among whom is Dante the painter-poet, who gave form to human knowledge.