documented 1346 -1369 · Lombardy, Florence and Rome

Lombard realism, refined color and Giottesque monumentality make Giovanni da Milano one of the most sensitive renovators of Florentine painting after the Black Death.

Giovanni da Milano was probably born around 1320 -1325 in Caversaccio, near Como. The documents call him Giovanni di Jacopo de Caversaccio or Johannes de Mediolano, a signature by which he affirms his Lombard origin. He was attested in Florence in 1346, then again in the 1360s; member of the guild of Doctors and Apothecaries, he became a Florentine citizen in 1366. His art brought together two traditions. From Lombardy, he retained a taste for individual physiognomies, domestic details, the gentleness of modeling and an intimate observation of emotions. In Florence, he retained a taste for individual physiognomies, domestic details, gentle modeling and intimate observation of emotions. From Lombardy, he retained a taste for individual physiognomies, domestic details, gentle modeling and intimate observation of emotions. From Lombardy, he retained a taste for individual physiognomies, domestic details, gentle modeling and intimate observation of emotions. From Lombardy, he retained a taste for individual physiognomies, domestic details, gentle modeling and intimate observation of emotions. From Lombardy, he retained a taste for individual physiognomies, domestic details, gentle modeling and intimate observation of emotions. From Lombardy, he retained a taste for individual major is a polyptych for the Misericordia hospital in Prato. The large Ognissanti Polyptych and several panels now scattered show solid saints, enveloped in deep colors and almost atmospheric light. Its masterpiece is the cycle of the Rinuccini chapel in Santa Croce, painted around 1365. The stories of the Virgin and Mary Magdalene combine clear architecture, numerous groups, readable gestures and everyday details. The faces express pain, surprise or tenderness with unusual intensity in mid-century Florentine painting. A Pietà dated 1365 concentrates this ability to unite monumentality and compassion. In 1369, an Iohannes by Mediolano is documented in the Vatican under Pope Urban V, probably the same artist. His trace then disappears. Despite a limited and sometimes fragmentary corpus, Giovanni da Milano plays an essential role in the meeting between Lombard naturalism, Giottesque tradition and Gothic refinement. The "Giovanni da Milano" selection notably compares The Crucifixion and Virgin and Child with donors. His reading favors composition.

Giovanni da Milano gives the sacred narrative the density of a lived experience: stable architecture, precious color and deeply individual faces.