Question

Which artist's work includes reliefs that are more pronounced, with a focus on nervous agitation and a departure from the thick carving and placid presentation of the religious narrative?

a) Nicola Pisano
b) Giovanni Pisano
c) Cimabue
d) Giotto di Bondone

Answer 1

Giovanni Pisano is known for his expressive and dynamic reliefs, contrasting the more calm, narrative style of other artists like Nicola Pisano, Cimabue, and Giotto di Bondone, who also moved away from Byzantine styles but with different approaches.

Step-by-step explanation:

The artist whose work includes more pronounced reliefs, with a focus on nervous agitation and a departure from the thick carving and placid presentation of the religious narrative, is Giovanni Pisano. Distinguished from his father, Nicola Pisano, Giovanni developed a style that was decidedly more dynamic and expressive.

While Nicola's work, such as in "The Nativity and Annunciation to the Shepherds," exhibits high relief and a more calm, narrative approach, Giovanni pushed the boundaries toward more intense emotion and movement, signaling a shift towards the proto-Renaissance style.

Cimabue and Giotto di Bondone, contemporaries of the Pisano family, are associated with a movement away from the Byzantine style with a focus on naturalism. Yet, it is Giovanni Pisano's work that is characterized by a greater degree of agitation and sculptural depth that contrast with the tranquillity and flatter relief forms of his father's works and the narrative works of other artists mentioned.