54 Last Judgment Giotto di Bondone (1266-1337)

Description of Giotto Di Bondone’s "The Last Judgment" cartoon

The "Last Judgment" fresco by the great Renaissance representative Giotto, has been adorning the walls of a small church in Padua for over 500 years. It was thanks to Giotto that the church, or the Chapel of the Bloodshed, became world-famous, and has become a place of pilgrimage for thousands of tourists.

This extensive depiction of the Last Judgment, which is located on the west side of the church, is dominated by a large Jesus Christ, towering majestically in the center. To his left and right sit the twelve apostles. In the middle are the Archangels Michael and Raphael holding the cross. The fresco can be divided into two levels: above there is the heavenly host, below the people are plunged into the jaws of hell, or moved towards heaven, guided by angels.

Christ is on the throne as the supreme judge. The deep shining gold background, the subtle style of the painting give the impression that the heavens have opened to reveal the powerful, extremely clearly modeled figure of Christ. At various levels of the fresco, one sees a choir of angels disappearing behind a real window or the golden-red doors of the heavenly Jerusalem shining at the top of the painting. In stark contrast to the heavens is the black and red maw of hell, which may have foreshadowed Dante’s Inferno.

Giotto ingeniously makes the connection between today’s world of believers and the canonical world that existed throughout creation-the Last Judgment. An interesting detail is the depiction of Enrico Scroveni, who ordered the building of the church. His kneeling figure is located at the bottom of the fresco. In this way, he was atoning for the sins of his moneylender father, because back then moneylending was equal to mortal sins.