Siena, The Rise of Painting 1300-1350: The Beginnings of Naturalistic Lighting Techniques in Art as an Accompaniment to Shifting Perspective

The early 14th century saw major changes in the way paintings were executed; this included light for the first time being incorporated in a more naturalistic manner with it coming from a recognizable natural source, a principle that remains a central force in composition today and is now called ‘motivated light’. The artists concerned, who plied their trade in central Italy, were led by Duccio and Giotto, the founders of the Sienese and Florentine Schools respectively. The author, a (retired) theatre lighting designer who has been inspired to explore the origins of creative lighting in art by a recent exhibition of early 14th century Sienese art in London, has formally analyzed three paintings produced by these artists and deconstructs their lighting by applying principles drawn from stage lighting procedures. This process is set within the context of the overall compositional changes in art that were happening at this time. Results show that this new use of light helped create pictorial images that were more recognizable as real-life situations while at the same time adding further value through incorporating symbolic or dramatic effects. While the changes the artists introduced didn’t revolutionize art overnight, it took only 100 years for light to be used in a fully naturalistic manner, where within a strict adherence to the behaviour of natural light there was still scope for it to be manipulated for pragmatic, symbolic or theatrical impact. This new approach made a significant contribution to the creative and cultural journey towards the Renaissance.