Cappella degli Scrovegni and Musei Civici degli Eremitani in Padova (Padua)

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Cappella degli Scrovegni and Musei Civici degli Eremitani in Padova (Padua)

While in Venice last October, we made a day-trip to the nearby Padova (Padua), whose main attracts were Giotto's fresco cycle in Cappella degli Scrovegni and the famous anatomical theatre in Università degli Studi di Padova (University of Padua), previously described in my blog, Visiting Four Universities in Austria and Italy.

Giotto's remarkable fresco cycle the Life of Christ and the Life of the Virgin, completed around 1305, one of the most important masterpieces of Western art was preserved Cappella degli Scrovegni.

Before entering the chapel, we spent a little time to admired some sculptures, ancient and modern, in a garden enclosed by a stretch of Roman amphitheater ruin.

DSCN0711 _ Cappella degli Scrovegni (Scrovegni Chapel), Padova, 12 October

DSCN0712 _ Cappella degli Scrovegni (Scrovegni Chapel), Padova, 12 October

DSCN0714 _ Cappella degli Scrovegni (Scrovegni Chapel), Padova, 12 October

DSCN0713 _ Cappella degli Scrovegni (Scrovegni Chapel), Padova, 12 October

The chapel was commissioned by a wealthy banker Enrico degli Scrovegni as a private chapel and it was once attached to his family's palazzo, which sadly was no longer there. The chapel, also called the "Arena Chapel" because it stood on the site of a Roman-era arena, looked stark and muted from outside. To see those frescoes, one must join a 10-minute guided tour; evening tours would be twice as long, a whopping 20 minutes. Forty-five minutes before the timed tour started, we reported to the chapel as required, in order to stay in a waiting room for 15 minutes, to have our temperature and moisture modulated, so as to protect the fragile ancient art. While waiting, we watched a quite engaging video on this remarkable cycle and its preservation.

DSCN0709 _ Cappella degli Scrovegni (Scrovegni Chapel), Padova, 12 October

The cycle of Giotto was breathtaking - enormous scope, brilliant colors, remarkable compositions, "modern" technique of rendering volumes and understanding of human anatomy and perspectives, and above all, exotic and even bizarre visual symbols, not all of them could be understood readily by modern casual viewers, though that fault could hardly dampen visitors' collective awe.

DSCN0702 _ Giotto Frescoes in Scrovegni Chapel, Padova, 12 October

DSCN0707 _ Giotto Frescoes in Scrovegni Chapel, Padova, 12 October

DSCN0708 _ Giotto Frescoes in Scrovegni Chapel, Padova, 12 October

DSCN0706 _ Giotto Frescoes in Scrovegni Chapel, Padova, 12 October

DSCN0705 _ Giotto Frescoes in Scrovegni Chapel, Padova, 12 October

Nearby was the complex of Musei Civici degli Eremitani, which consisted of Museo Archeologico & Museo di Arte Medioevale e Moderna. Amongst many artefacts from the ancient worlds, there were something could be praised purely for their beauty, such as some wonderful paintings, sculptures, and mosaics floors.