active in the second half of the 13th century · Siena

Gold funds, Byzantine solemnity and early Gothic inflections make Guido da Siena a founding figure in Sienese painting.

Guido da Siena is one of the most enigmatic painters of the Italian 13th century. His name is attached to a large Virgin and Child in throne kept in the Basilica of San Domenico in Siena, signed "Guido de Senis". The inscription bears the date 1221, but the style of the painting corresponds more to the 1260s or 1270s; the date could therefore be restored, modified or interpreted differently. This difficulty summarizes the debates surrounding the artist: few documents, several studio interventions and attributions constructed by comparison. Guido works at a time when Siena, a prosperous city and rival of Florence, asserts a visual identity nourished by icons byzantine, Mediterranean exchanges and Gothic sensitivity. Its figures retain the frontality, the gold background and the hierarchical signs of the sacred image. However, the face of the Virgin softens, the draperies gain rhythm and the Child seeks a more lively relationship with his mother. In the narrative scenes attributed to those around him, architecture, gesture and color make the story more readable. The Annunciation organizes the meeting between the angel and Mary in a space that is still symbolic but already animated by dialogue. The Annunciation organizes the meeting between the angel and Mary in a space that is still symbolic but already animated by dialogue. The Annunciation organizes the meeting between the angel and Mary in a space that is still symbolic but already animated by dialogue. The Annunciation organizes the meeting between the angel and Mary in a space that is still symbolic but already animated by dialogue. The Annunciation organizes the meeting between the angel and Mary in a space that is still symbolic but already animated by dialogue. The Annunciation organizes the meeting between the angel and Mary in a space that is still symbolic but already animated by dialogue. The Annunciation organizes the meeting between the angel and Mary in a space that is still symbolic but already animated by dialogue. The Annunciation organizes the meeting between the angel and Mary in a space that is still symbolic but Lazarus show an ability to condense several stories into a coherent whole. Some of these works may come from a studio or have been completed by younger painters. Guido's importance is therefore not based on a perfectly certain biography, but on his place in the birth of a Sienese school which would lead to Duccio, Simone Martini and the Lorenzetti. He embodies the progressive transition from the immutable icon to a more emotional and narrative painting. The "Guido da Siena" selection therefore embodies the progressive transition from the immutable icon to a more emotional and narrative painting. The "Guido da Siena" selection notably compares The Annunciation and Virgin and Child surrounded by four saints. His reading favors details.

Guido da Siena does not break with the icon: he softens its face, gesture and story until he prepares the emotional elegance of all Sienese painting.