Final answer:
Giotto used fresco painting as his method to create the artwork on the walls and ceiling of the Arena Chapel in Padua, Italy. This involved applying pigment on wet plaster, a technique renowned for its durability and for having transformed the direction of Western art history.
Step-by-step explanation:
Giotto, the artist who made a significant break from Byzantine art traditions, painted the frescoes in the Arena Chapel, also known as the Scrovegni Chapel, in Padua, Italy. The method he used for these paintings is known as fresco painting. This technique involves applying water-based pigments on freshly laid lime plaster, allowing the paint to become an integral part of the wall surface as it dries. Giotto's frescoes in the Chapel are renowned for their storytelling of Mary and Christ, as well as the Last Judgment and other religious narratives.
His work in the Chapel showcases his groundbreaking use of chiaroscuro techniques, foreshortening, and emotional expressiveness which ushered in a new era of art that leaned towards what we now call the Renaissance. Giotto's frescoes were a product of meticulous preparation and skill, where designs were initially outlined on plaster and pigments had to be carefully selected for their chemical stability. These frescoes have withstood the test of time and remain enduring masterpieces of Western art.