Proto-Renaissance Artists
Painters, Sculptors, 13th/14th Century Italy: Cimabue, Giotto Di Bondone: Arena Chapel Fresco Paintings.
Encyclopedia of Irish and World Art - HOMEPAGE

Detail from, Life Of Mary Magdalen,
Fresco, Magdalen Chapel, Assisi
(1320) by Giotto di Bondone.

Proto-Renaissance Artists (c.1250-1400)

"Proto-Renaissance art" is a rather vague term which broadly speaking refers to the period in Italy between about 1280 and 1400 - being the century or so which led up to the Early Italian Renaissance (1400-90).

Occurring within the wider era of European Gothic art (roughly 1150-1430), proto-Renaissance Italian art encompassed illuminated manuscripts, decorative fresco murals, altar-pieces, and ecclesiastical metalwork, as well as sculpture and painting - the latter in mediums like tempera, and encaustic paint as well as early forms of oils.

THE RENAISSANCE ERA
For more facts about this period/
movement see these resources:
Early Renaissance Artists (1400-90)
High Renaissance (1490-1530)
High Renaissance Artists
Mannerism (1530-1600)
Mannerist Artists
Northern Renaissance (1400-1600)
Northern Renaissance Artists
Spanish Renaissance Artists

PAINTING COLOURS
For details of colour painting
pigments and hues used by
proto-Renaissance and
International Gothic painters,
see: Renaissance Colour Palette.

Development of Proto-Renaissance Art

Painting in Italy during this period began by following the "maniera greca", the Greek style which was developed from Byzantine art at the beginning of the 13th century (c.1200): its centre was Pisa. This Greek style intially featured bold, linear compositions expressing powerful emotions, particularly in the Passion of Christ. Then at the end of the 13th century, Cimabue (Cenni di Peppi) (1240-1302) took a fundamental step towards Renaissance art by introducing more realism into the figures of his frescos, a technique developed and significantly enhanced by his genius pupil Giotto di Bondone (1267-1337). At the same time the sculptors Nicola and Giovanni Pisano started to bring a previously unseen naturalism to stone sculpture. Later in the 14th century (trecento), proto-Renaissance Italian artists were influenced to some degree by the decorative idiom of the International Gothic style, and panel painting became more popular.

GREAT EUROPEAN PAINTERS
For biographies and paintings
of the greatest artists in Europe
from the Renaissance to 1800,
see: Old Masters: Top 100.

EVOLUTION OF VISUAL ART
For details of art movements
and styles, see: History of Art.
For the chronology and dates
of key events in the evolution
of visual arts around the world
see: History of Art Timeline.

ARTISTS SINCE 1800
For details of the best modern
painters, since 1800, see:
Famous Artists.

WORLDS TOP ARTISTS
For the greatest view paintings:
Best Landcape Artists.
For the finest still lifes, see:
Best Still Life Painters.
For the greatest portraits
see: Best Portrait Artists.
For the greatest genre-scenes:
Best Genre Painters.
For the top historical painting,
see: Best History Painters.

WORLD'S GREATEST ARTWORKS
For a list of the Top 10 painters/
sculptors: Best Artists of All Time.

PAINTING
For more about the history
of oils, acrylics, watercolour
and other types of painting,
as well as famous painters,
see: Fine Art Painting.
For the history of oils,
see: Oil Painting.

SCULPTURE
For information about the
"plastic arts" and 3-D works
in bronze, stone and clay,
along with biographies of
famous sculptors, see:
Sculpture Art.

MEANING OF ART
For a discussion of the types,
values, and significance of the
visual arts, see: Definition of Art.

List of Italian Proto-Renaissance Painters & Sculptors

Among the many masters of proto-Renaissance painting, sculpture, illuminations, metalwork, and other visual arts of the 13th/14th century, were the following:

Agostino Di Giovanni (flourished 1310-1347) Italian Sculptor (Siena)
Altichiero Da Zevio (c.1330-c.1390) Italian Painter (Verona)
Andrea Da Firenze (fl.1343-1377) Italian Painter (Florence)
Andrea Di Vanni D'andrea (c.1332-1414) Italian Painter (Siena)
Angelo Di Nalduccio (fl.1342-1389) Italian Sculptor (Siena)
Antonio Veneziano (fl.1369-1419) Italian Painter (Venice)
Arnolfo Di Cambio (c.1245-c.1310) Italian Sculptor
Avanzi, Jacopo (fl.1363-1384) Italian Painter (Padua)
Barna Da Siena (fl.Mid-14th Century.) Italian Painter (Siena)
Barnaba Da Modena (fl.1361-1383) Italian Painter
Baronzio, Giovanni (fl.c.1344-c.1362) Italian Painter (Rimini)
Bartolo Di Fredi (c.1330-c.1410) Italian Painter (Siena)
Bassa, Arnau (fl.late 14th Century.) Catalan Painter (Barcelona)
Bassa, Ferrer (fl.1324-1348) Catalan Painter (Barcelona)
Beauneveu, André (c.1330-1402) French Illuminator
Betto Di Geri (fl.1366–1402) Italian Goldsmith (Florence)
Bonino Da Campione (fl.1350-90) Italian Sculptor
Broederlam, Melchior (c.1355-1411) Flemish Painter (Burgundy)
Buffalmacco, Bounamico (fl.1315-1336) Italian Painter (Pisa)
Bulgarini, Bartolommeo (fl.1337-1378) Italian Painter (Siena)
Calendario, Filippo (c.1315-1355) Italian Sculptor (Venice)
Capanna, Puccio (fl.1338-1348) Italian Painter (Assisi)
Cavallini, Pietro (fl.1273-1308) Italian Painter (Rome)
Cenni Di Francesco Di Ser Cenni (fl.1369-1415) Italian Painter (Florence)
Cenni Di Pepo (See Cimabue)
Cimabue (c.1240-c.1302) Italian Painter (Florence)
Cione, Andrea Di (See Orcagna)
Cione, Nardo Di (See Nardo Di Cione)
Cosma, Deodato Di (fl.Around 1300) Italian Sculptor (Rome)
Cosma, Giovanni Di (fl.1290s) Italian Sculptor (Rome)
Daddi, Bernardo (c.1280-1348) Italian Painter (Florence)
Dalle Masegne, Jacobello (c.1350-1409) Italian Sculptor (Emilia)
Domenico Di Agostino (c.1305-1369) Italian Sculptor (Siena)
Donato (Known 1360-1380) Italian Painter (Venice)
Duccio Di Buoninsegna (c.1255-1319) Italian Painter (Siena)
Embriachi, Baldassare Degli (fl.1390-1409) Italian Sculptor
Francesco Di Vannuccio (fl.1356-89) Italian Painter (Siena)
Gaddi, Agnolo (c.1350-1390) Italian Painter (Florence)
Gaddi, Taddeo (1300-1366) Italian Painter (Florence)
Gano Di Fazio (fl.1302-1318) Italian Sculptor (Siena)
Gentile Da Fabriano (1370-1427) Italian Painter
Gerini, Niccolò Di Pietro (See Niccolò Di Pietro Gerini)
Gherarducci, Don Silvestro Dei (1339-1399) Italian Illuminator (Florence)
Ghissi, Francescuccio (fl.1359-1395) Italian Painter
Giottino (1320/30-After 1369) Italian Painter (Florence)
Giotto Di Bondone (1267-1337) Italian Painter (Florence)
Giovanetti, Matteo (c.1300-1368) Italian Painter (Avignon)
Giovanni And Pacio Da Firenze (fl.1343-1345) Italian Sculptor
Giovanni D'agostino (c.1311-1348) Italian Sculptor (Siena)
Giovanni D'ambrogio (fl.1382-1418) Italian Sculptor (Florence)
Giovanni Da Balduccio (fl.1315-1349) Italian Sculptor
Giovanni Da Bologna (fl.1370-1390) Italian Painter
Giovanni Da Campione (fl.1340-1360) Italian Sculptor (Verona)
Giovanni Da Milano (fl.1350-69) Italian Painter
Giovanni Da Rimini (fl.1292-1309) Italian Painter (Rimini)
Giovanni Dal Ponte (1385-1438) Italian Painter (Florence)
Giovanni Del Biondo (fl.1356-1392) Italian Painter (Florence)
Giusto De' Menabuoi (c.1320-1391) Italian Painter (Padua)
Giusto Padovano (See Giusto De' Menabuoi)
Godefroyd, Etienne (fl.1300s) French Goldsmith (Naples)
Grassi, Giovannino De' (fl.1389-1398) Italian Illuminator (Lombardy)
Grifo Di Tancredi (fl.1271-1303) Italian Painter (Florence)
Guariento D'arpo (fl.1338-1368) Italian Painter (Padua)
Guglielmo Da Modena (See Wiligelmo)
Guglielmo, Fra (c.1235-1310) Italian Sculptor
Hennequin De Liège (See Jean De Liège)
Jacopo Del Casentino (c.1297-1349) Italian Painter (Florence)
Jean De Liège (fl.1361-1381) French Sculptor
Kalandario, Filippo (See Calendario, Filippo)
Landini, Jacopo (See Jacopo Del Casentino)
Leonardo Di Ser Giovanni (fl.1358–1371) Italian Goldsmith (Florence)
Lippo Di Vanni (See Vanni, Lippo)
Lorenzetti, Ambrogio (c.1290-1348) Italian Painter (Siena)
Lorenzetti, Pietro (1290-1348) Italian Painter (Siena)
Lorenzetti, Ugolino (See Ugolino-Lorenzetti)
Lorenzo Veneziano (fl.1356-1372) Italian Painter (Venice)
Luca Di Tommè (fl.1356–1389) Italian Painter (Siena)
Luca Spinelli, Spinello Di (See Spinello Aretino)
Maitani, Lorenzo (c.1255-1330) Italian Sculptor (Orvieto)
Mariotto Di Nardo (Before 1394-1424) Italian Painter (Florence)
Martino Di Bartolommeo (fl.1389-1435) Italian Painter (Siena)
Maso Di Banco (fl.1320-50) Italian Painter (Florence)
Mates, Joan (c.1370-1431) Catalan Painter
Memmi, Lippo (c.1285-c.1361) Italian Painter (Siena)
Nardo Di Cione (fl.1343-66) Italian Painter (Florence)
Niccolò Di Buonaccorso (fl.1356-1388) Italian Painter (Siena)
Niccolò Di Pietro Gerini (fl.1366-1415) Italian Painter (Florence)
Niccolò Di Segna (fl.1331-1345) Italian Painter (Siena)
Niccolò Di Tommaso (fl.1350-1380) Italian Painter
Niccolò Semitecolo (fl.1353-1370) Italian Painter (Padua)
Oderisi, Pietro (fl.c.1260-80) Italian Sculptor
Orcagna (c.1308-c.1368) Italian Sculptor (Florence)
Palmerino Di Guido (fl.Around 1300) Italian Painter
Paolo Veneziano (Before 1300-c.1360) Italian Painter (Venice)
Parler, Peter (1330-1399) German Sculptor (Prague)
Pietro Da Rimini (fl.1300-1350) Italian Painter (Rimini)
Pisano, Andrea (fl.c.1290-1349) Italian Sculptor
Pisano, Giovanni (c.1250-1314) Italian Sculptor (Pisa)
Pisano, Nicola (fl.1258-1278) Italian Sculptor (Pisa)
Pisano, Nino (fl.c.1349-1360) Italian Sculptor (Pisa)
Pucelle, Jean (c.1300-c.1355) French Illuminator
Rublev, Andrej (See Rublyov, Andrey)
Rublyov, Andrey (c.1360-1430) Russian Painter (Moscow)
Scerpswert, Elyas (late 14th-Century) Netherlandish Goldsmith (Utrecht)
Segna Di Buonaventure (1298-1331) Italian Painter (Siena)
Serra, Pedro (fl.1363-1399) Catalan Painter (Catalonia)
Simone Martini (1285-1344) Italian Painter (Siena)
Sluter, Claus (c.1350-1406) Netherlandish Sculptor (Dijon)
Spinello Aretino (c.1345-1410) Italian Painter
Starnina, Gherardo Di Jacopo (c.1354-1413) Italian Painter (Florence)
Stefano Di Sant'agnese (fl.1360-80) Italian Painter (Venice)
Taddeo Di Bartolo (1362-1422) Italian Painter (Siena)
Theophanes The Greek (c.1340-1410) Greek Painter (Russia)
Tino Da Camaino (c.1285-1337) Italian Sculptor
Tommaso Da Modena (c.1325-1379) Italian Painter (Modena)
Torriti, Jacopo (fl.c.1270-1300) Italian Painter (Rome)
Traini, Francesco (fl.1321-1363) Italian Painter (Pisa)
Ubriachi, Baldassare Degli (See Embriachi, Baldassare Degli)
Ugolino Di Nerio (fl.1317-1339/49) Italian Painter (Siena)
Ugolino Di Vieri (fl.1328-1380) Italian Goldsmith (Siena)
Ugolino-Lorenzetti (fl.1340-60) Italian Painter (Siena)
Vanni, Lippo (fl.1340-1375) Italian Illuminator (Siena)
Vitale Da Bologna (1289-1359) Italian Painter (Bologna)

• For biographies of established painters and sculptors in Ireland, see: Famous Irish Artists.
• For information about visual arts in the 32 counties, see: Irish Art Encyclopedia.