Lions, Tigers and Pisano

photo credit The Pulpit

Nicola Pisano’s design of the Pulpit of the Pisa baptistery stood out to me in more ways than one, aside from the fact that it’s a beautiful religious masterpiece, it’s very French Goth, which I personally love. Every inch of the pulpit is richly decorated with scenes from Christ’s life, such as: the Annunciation (when the angel Gabrielle tells Mary she will become a mother) the Nativity scene (when Jesus the Son of God is born), all the way up to the crucifixion Christ (where he becomes the ultimate sacrifice). What fascinates me is how Pisano was so strongly influenced by Roman remains and sculptures from Augustan times. The reason is because we look at these great artists that were absolutely brilliant, it seems as if they were almost creating magic with their hands, but just as we are so fascinated with Pisano, Cimabue or Giotto for example, they were just as fascinated. As an artist it’s amazing how we continue to be inspired and influenced by the ones before us. And these pieces of art can come alive inside our souls in ways that words cannot express. Although one thing that confused me was how Hercules was incorporated into this piece. During the Duecento it was very uncommon to see anything resembling pagan religions within a Cathedral, and the idea that Pisano could have included the image of Hercules is very disheartening for me.