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Duccio and the Origins of Western Painting

by Keith Christiansen

Fondo Oro:

We consider Duccio di Buoninsegna not merely a painter, but the spiritual architect of the Sienese tradition. Keith Christiansen’s Duccio and the Origins of Western Painting is an essential inclusion in our recommended publications because it offers a definitive celebration of the master’s 2004 acquisition by the Metropolitan Museum of Art—a moment that reaffirmed Duccio’s monumental status in the history of art.

What makes this work uniquely compelling is the way Christiansen dismantles the traditional hierarchy that often places Giotto in the shadow of the Renaissance while leaving Duccio in the medieval past. By likening their relationship to that of Matisse and Picasso, this text elevates the dialogue between the two masters, highlighting the lyrical elegance and emotional depth that Duccio brought to the "gold ground" format.

This publication is a testament to the enduring power of a single panel to shift our entire understanding of a century. For the connoisseur who seeks to look beyond the surface of the tempera and into the soul of the Sienese school, Christiansen provides an indispensable map.

Yale University Press, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, 2008, 62 pages, Sorfcover, ISBN: 9780300145441

In 2004 the Metropolitan Museum acquired an extremely rare and beautiful Madonna and Child by the great painter Duccio di Buoninsegna. Duccio, who died in 1318, has long been recognized as the father of Sienese painting, and he fostered a new generation of talented and innovative painters. In art history textbooks, however, his considerable contribution to European painting is often overshadowed by the work of his contemporary Giotto. Christiansen examines the fascinating connection between Giotto and Duccio, which he likens to Michelangelo's relationship with Raphael, or Picasso's with Matisse, and explains the particular qualities that make Duccio such an essential artist.