The reproductions of Pietro Lorenzetti, an artist from medieval Siena together with his brother Ambrogio, are a tribute to what is one of the greatest exponents of Sienese pictorial art. Not much has come down to us concerning his life but it is common opinion that he grew artistically, like his friend and colleague Simone Martini, at the shadow of Duccio di Buoninsegna and his teachings. It is his own works that tell this story, through the lines and colors of his compositions. Also known by the name of Pietro Laurati because of a citation error by the great Giorgio Vasari, the master was very active in the early fourteenth century and was influenced in particular by artists such as Giovanni Pisano and Giotto. Together with his brother Ambrogio Lorenzetti he was one of the main introducers of naturalism in a context such as that of Sienese art which was mainly characterized by a mystical imprint.

The art reproductions of Pietro Lorenzetti, artist of Medieval Siena

Many of Lorenzetti's religious works are still preserved in the churches of Siena, Arezzo and Assisi. To understand how important his art was, it is necessary to think of medieval Siena and what was the approach to art in those years: even if we were still far from the Renaissance, the world and art with him began to awaken from that sleep typical of the Middle Ages, introducing new concepts and points of view.

Pietro Lorenzetti's paintings are a very important example: together with his brother he contributed to introducing a new way of seeing painting and expressing messages through the use of the brush inside the Sienese art, and beyond.

All paintings by Pietro Lorenzetti have left their mark on the world of art but his greatest work is undoubtedly a tempera fresco in the Lower Basilica of Assisi in which he painted large frames reproducing the Crucifixion, the Deposition from the Cross and the Lamentation, giving space to the naturalism that made it famous in Gothic art. To understand how relevant this artist is, it is important to recognize how Giotto and his works were influential in the way in which the master then decided to express his talent. The departure from Duccio Di Buoninsegna and his teachings is a path that can be seen gradually over the decades and his activities. This is not a bad thing, on the contrary: it is the main symptom of that particular way of seeing painting that will make the artist and his brother in some way precursors of what will happen with the Renaissance. Although these painters are partly "slaves" of the Byzantine conception, they somehow manage to overcome it, at least conceptually.

Reproduction of "The Madonna and Child" by Pietro Lorenzetti

Among the art reproductions of Pietro Lorenzetti created by the expert hands of Silvia Salvadori there is that of the Madonna and Child, part of a polyptych still preserved at the Church of Santa Maria della Pieve in Arezzo and currently undergoing restoration.

Overall, the work is one of the most important of the fourteenth century and one of the few that can be observed in its place of origin while taking into account the movements of the polyptych inside the Church in the last centuries. It was Bishop Guido Tarlati of Pietramala, struk by the works of Pietro Lorenzetti and the particular style he employed, very similar to that of Giotto, Duccio di Buoninsegna and his brother Ambrogio Lorenzetti, who commissioned the work to the Sienese artist.

The polyptych of Arezzo which includes the Madonna and Child is not only important because it is an example of fine medieval Gothic art but also for the existence of the commission contract, which has come down to us and was dated 17 April 1320, contract which obliged the master to paint "beautiful figures" with high quality colors on a pure gold background leaving the preparation of the wooden support and the choice of the subject to the client. The way the two figures interact and their lines give full representation of the naturalism to which the painter was so fond of.

Equally interesting, in the same Polyptych is the Annunciation placed just above the Madonna and Child. The Announcing Angel is perfectly placed in the context and in the perspective chosen by the author.

The art reproductions of Pietro Lorenzetti, and of Duccio, Simone Martini and Sano di Pietro

Among the art reproductions of Pietro Lorenzetti performed by the expert hands of Silvia Salvadori there are also the Madonna Annunciata by Simone Martini, that by Duccio di Buoninsegna and by Sano di Pietro. Different artistic approaches to what is a common theme in sacred art of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries with the need, despite some similarities, to make distinctions. While Martini, Pietro and Ambrogio Lorenzetti are masters of the fourteenth century, Sano di Pietro, being born and operating in the fifteenth century, is to be considered much closer to the Renaissance than is believed.

Stylistically, the Madonna and Child by Sano Di Pietro is very reminiscent of the style used by his colleagues in Medieval Siena but at the same time it is clear how the artist detaches himself, offering a different emotion to the scene reproduced: in this case, in fact, the figures stand out particularly for the choice of color on a golden background just as it happened with the homonymous work by Duccio di Buoninsegna, but they impress the eyes of the spectator for their sad expression charged of that tragic and salvific future that the Jesus Child will be forced to live to expiate the sins of the world. The reference to the Passion is well outlined and graspable even if you are lacking in specific knowledge of the symbolism of the painting.

Particularly important, among the works reproduced by Silvia Salvadori, is the Madonna Annunciante by Simone Martini. Just look at the scene to understand how the Sienese master, by painting this sacred subject, managed to transform a simple work of art into one of the most appreciated jewels of all Gothic art of the fourteenth century. Still appreciated by critics and enthusiasts today, it bears testimony of the creation of one of the most elegant pictorial linear movements of medieval Siena and fourteenth-century Tuscan art.

Specifically, the painting is a tempera on wood currently preserved in the Uffizi Gallery and painted by Martini together with his brother-in-law Lippo Memmi who made the side panels for the Cathedral of Siena. It is the psychological empathy present in the painting that brings the message to the base of the work to stand out in a particular way, together with the use of a symbolism and an impeccable perspective.