The chapel is also known as the Arena Chapel because it was built on land purchased by Enrico Scrovegni that abutted the site of a Roman arena. The space was where an open-air procession and sacred representation of the Annunciation to the Virgin had been played out for a generation before the chapel was built.
Why is it called the Arena Chapel?
The chapel is known as the Arena Chapel since it is on the site of an ancient Roman arena (or amphitheater) that later became the property of Scrovegni, whose palace abutted the chapel (the palace was torn down in the nineteenth century, though parts of the arena remain).
What is depicted in the Arena Chapel?
The frescoes in the Arena Chapel tell the story of Mary and Christ on the long walls. By the altar, Giotto painted the Annunciation, and at the other end, on the entrance wall, the Last Judgment.
Who built the Arena Chapel?
Arena Chapel, also called Scrovegni Chapel, (consecrated March 25, 1305) small chapel built in the first years of the 14th century in Padua, Italy, by Enrico Scrovegni and containing frescoes by the Florentine painter Giotto (see photograph).
Why is the Arena Chapel blue?
Giotto, compositional elements of the Arena Chapel, Padua. The same ‘heavenly’ deep blue of the vaulted ceiling is used as sky in the narrative scenes, which creates an eerie light, somewhere between night and day. This also helps create a sense of an alternate reality.
Why was the Scrovegni Arena Chapel was built?
The Scrovegni Chapel was built to atone for the wages of greed but ended up becoming home to one of the great works of Western art. The chapel was built in 1305 by wealthy Italian banker Enrico Scrovegni.
What was used for paint in Arena Chapel?
Giotto painted his artwork on the walls and ceiling of the Chapel using the fresco method in which water based colors are painted onto wet plaster. Painting onto wet plaster allows the paint to be infused into the plaster creating a very durable artwork.
How many scenes are in the Arena Chapel?
The remaining walls are covered with three tiers of frescoes: the top tier is devoted to scenes from the Life of the Virgin Mary (to whom the chapel is dedicated); the middle and lower tiers depict scenes from the Life of Jesus; in all, a total of 39 scenes.
