St. Francis’ affinity for the environment influenced the artist Giotto (c.1270-1337) who revolutionized art history by including natural elements in his religious works. In this manner, Giotto portrayed sacred images on Earth, separating them definitively from their abstract, unapproachable representation in Byzantine art. Giotto’s works are distinctive because they portray daily life as blessed, thus demonstrating that the difference between the sacred and profane is minimal.
St. Francis, Giotto and the Environment
Ann Pizzorusso
The saint and the artist who revolutionized religion,
art and created the ecological movement
From Antiquity to the Middle Ages, man had a conflictual relationship with nature, seeing it as representing either divine or satanic forces. On the vanguard of a change in perspective toward the natural world was St. Francis of Assisi (c.1181-1226) who is now, thanks to his pioneering work, patron of ecology. He set forth the revolutionary philosophy that the Earth and all living creatures should be respected as creations of the Almighty.
Disseminating the new ideas of St. Francis visually was very effective, as the general populace was illiterate. Seeing frescoes reflecting their everyday lives in landscapes that were familiar, changed their way of thinking. The trees, plants, animals and rocky landscapes were suddenly perceived as gifts from the Creator to be used, enjoyed and respected. Giotto recognized that the variety of dramatic landscapes would provide spectacular visual interest in the works. The Umbria/Lazio/Tuscany regions of central Italy, where the Franciscan monasteries were located, are seismically active, geologically complex mountainous areas with faults, upthrusts, nappes and diverse lithologic deposits. By including the striking landforms, and portraying them accurately, Giotto allows us the opportunity to identify the types of rock in his frescoes and possibly even the exact location he depicted.
Giotto revolutionized art by taking Byzantine iconography and humanizing it. Following Francis’ lead, the Nativity thus became a natural event. Using elementary perspective techniques, he was able to compose a sacred scene that appeared similar to a person’s daily life. In this way, the viewer had a direct experience with the miraculous, allowing him to internalize the supernatural event and ultimately transfigure his human consciousness into a vessel for the divine. Note Halley's Comet in the background.
Giotto's frescoes illustrating the life of St. Francis are in the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi. Here, artists such as Cimabue and Duccio worked on these frescoes, making this church the epicenter of the revolution in art history, changing from the Byzantine to the Renaissance.
Some 750 years after the saint’s death, on 29 November 1979, Pope John Paul II declared Saint Francis the Patron Saint of Ecology. Successive Popes continued to use St. Francis as a model in their public comments over the years:
"…not to behave like dissident predators where nature is concerned, but to assume responsibility for it, taking all care so that everything stays healthy and integrated, so as to offer a welcoming and friendly environment even to those who succeed us."
"As a friend of the poor who was loved by God's creatures, Saint Francis invited all of creation – animals, plants, natural forces, even Brother Sun and Sister Moon – to give honor and praise to the Lord. The poor man of Assisi gives us striking witness that when we are at peace with God we are better able to devote ourselves to building up that peace with all creation which is inseparable from peace among all peoples."
"It is my hope that the inspiration of Saint Francis will help us to keep ever alive a sense of 'fraternity' with all those good and beautiful things which Almighty God has created."
“St. Francis teaches us that, the world of God and the world of nature are one."
Giuseppe De Lorenzo (Lagonegro, 1871 - Napoli, 1957) was a renowned geologist, having contributed significantly to the history of the formation of the Apennines, some of the most complicated geology in Italy. He was also a scholar of Leonardo da Vinci, having written a seminal book on Leonardo’s ideas on geology. His book, published in the mid-twentieth century, shed new light on Leonardo’s incredible writings on the geological disciplines of stratigraphy, sedimentology, paleontology, and structural geology. Additionally, De Lorenzo was able to influence not only scientists but the general public as he was knowledgeable in the fields of philosophy, literature, Far Eastern languages, and Buddhism. In September, 2023 I was honored and humbled to have won first prize in the National Giuseppe De Lorenzo book competition. Being a geologist and a Leonardo scholar it was a moment of great joy to follow in the footsteps of Leonardo da Vinci and Giuseppe De Lorenzo.
I am going to use this space to post unusual items from time to time. As the Earth reveals its secrets (often in plane sight) it is marvelous to see them and appreciate them for what they are--miracles. It often takes an artist to see and portray the Earth's wonders, be it through painting, literature, architecture or poetry. I hope these little tidbits will open up the wonders awaiting you right outside your door no matter where you are in the world.