active around 1250 -1280 · Umbria, Perugia and Assisi

Monumental crosses, frontal saints and Franciscan emotion make the Master of San Francesco an essential figure in Umbrian painting before Cimabue and Giotto.

The Master of San Francesco is an anonymous painter active in Umbria in the third quarter of the 13th century. Its name comes from a large altarpiece dedicated to Saint Francis and his work is closely linked to Perugia and the Basilica of Assisi. It comes at a decisive moment when Italian painting transforms the Byzantine heritage to respond to the new spirituality of the mendicant orders. The painted Cross preserved at the Louvre shows the dead Christ on a monumental structure. The painted Cross preserved at the Louvre shows the dead Christ on a monumental structure. The elongated body, the inclined head and the tension of the arms abandon the triumphant image of the living Christ in favor of human suffering capable of provoking compassion. Around the cross and in other panels of the franciscan corpora, saints, prophets and episodes are ordered by firm contours, deep colors and a precious background. The master is also associated with frescoes in the lower basilica of Assisi, even if the exact boundaries between his hand and that of his studio remain debated. His Lamentations, depositions and figures of Saint Francis construct a vocabulary that Cimabue then Giotto will carry further. The name remains unknown, but the work marks a fundamental step towards a more corporeal, narrative and emotional Western painting. The selection "Master of San Francesco" notably compares the Painted Cross and Deposit of Christ of the Cross. His reading prioritize color.

The Master of San Francesco brings down the sacred in the body: the inclination of Christ is enough to transform the cross into an experience of compassion.