Monday 31 May 2010 20.33 EDT First published on Monday 31 May 2010 20.33 EDT. Tropical Storm Agatha swept across Central America yesterday, bringing torrential rain that killed more than 100 people and opened a 60m-deep sinkhole in Guatemala City which reportedly swallowed up a three-storey building.
The artist who takes the biggest step away from the Medieval style of spiritual representation in painting in the early 14th century is Giotto. Giotto is perhaps best known for the frescos he painted in the Arena (or Scrovegni) Chapel. They were commissioned by a wealthy man named Enrico Scrovegni, the son of a well-known banker (and a banker himself).
Results are not as durable as Buon Fresco and the painting will eventually flake off beyond repair - Last Supper of Leonardo is an unfortunate example of the limitations of the Secco technique.* (dampening is needed for bringing the surface to a consistent tone - since painting is done in transparent layers and dry plaster would change color to a wet, darker tone as soon as the watery paint is applied.)