How did Giotto’s paintings differ from earlier medieval art?

Giotto di Bondone is widely recognized as the artist who broke away from the conventions of the Middle Ages to usher in a more naturalistic style of painting. His work differed from earlier medieval art in several key ways:1

• Humanity and Emotion: Unlike the flat, stoic, and stylized figures common in earlier medieval and Byzantine-influenced art, Giotto’s figures possess psychological depth. He depicted human beings with individual responses to grief and drama, using gestures and expressions to create a sense of genuine communication between figures.23
• Spatial Realism: Giotto made significant advances in the use of perspective to create convincing, three-dimensional settings for his narratives, providing a sense of spatial coherence that was largely absent in earlier traditions.32
• Structural Simplicity: He combined this psychological immediacy with a clear, simple, and monumental structure. His compositions focused on the essential elements of a story, rendering figures with a sense of weight and dignity that contrasted with the more decorative or abstract patterns of the past.245

These innovations laid the groundwork for the Renaissance, influencing generations of artists who followed.64