Sermon to the Birds
7:00 AM |
| Giotto, Sermon to the Birds, c. 1290 |
A part of Giotto's collection, Legend of St. Francis, Sermon to the Birds illustrates the Snow White-esque personality of St. Francis. Adored by his followers, the commonest of commoners are free to be led to salvation to this ground-hearted saint. However, irony lies in the side character's expressions of bewilderment and almost repulsion. With a large following, St. Francis actions, portrayed in many of Giotto's paintings, conflict with the normality of the character's around him. Which issues the question, how well do the followers understand their Saint? Although renowned for his humbleness, Giotto and many other cultish Giotto followers ignore this quality and instead embellish St. Francis onto large scale panels.
Despite this, the story portrayed in Giotto's work expresses that Snow-White true to St. Francis. The hypocritical nature relevant in all human beings reflects through the religious hypocritical backing of these series of paintings. However, for me this hypocrisy makes the stories more tangible. Understanding that the followers practice, but aren't perfect copies of their beloved leader, makes these people relevant. This concept peeks through in Sermon to the Birds in the expression of the character beside St. Francis. His overall weariness parallels the general weariness a person would have as they watch a saint talking to birds - accentuating the false reality in fables, and the underlying morals in which St. Francis truly preaches.
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