How Does The Contextualize Giotto's Lamentation?

The Lamentation, or Pietà, is a groundbreaking buon fresco by Giotto di Bondone, a Late Gothic artist ahead of his time in terms of technique and precision. Naturally, the lamentation scene’s iconography focuses on the Virgin Mary solemnly cradling the corpse of Jesus. Not only does Giotto depict revolutionary methods of trompe l’oeil, but he also introduces a unique concept: he illustrates the audience as characters in the painting. Giotto’s exquisite utilization of the artistic techniques of depth of field and character composition/placement leave the audience feeling as if they are truly at the scene.
Giotto demonstrates an astonishing understanding of foreground, middleground, and background in his Lamentation. The distinct separation
Then, in an incredibly surprising and unorthodox twist, Giotto places the actual scene of lamentation in the middleground! Finally, the foreground displays two hooded humans, one in green robes and the other in tan ones, who look away from the audience and face Jesus’ lifeless body. In a way, the two figures resemble the curious audience; both the viewers and the figures in the foreground display an onlooker observing and reacting to what is before them. The overwhelming emotion in the buon fresco leave the audience with pietà for the iconography. First, the angels in the far background are clearly distressed and overwhelmed with despairity at Christ’s death. This shows the audience that even angels, celestial creatures, not only have sorrow for Christ’s cruel death, but they take pity in the poor virgin mother. Furthermore, the leafless tree in the far right seem to symbolize the end of something, in this case Christ’s life. Then, the large stone that the tree rests on stretches onto the middle ground, where it ends right at Mary grasping the lifeless body of her son. This not only brings the audience’s eye directly to the main focal point
Although the scene is quite asymmetrical, Giotto compensates for that through compositional lines that guide the audience. The crowd around Jesus in the middleground all display different levels and presentations of sadness, however the beautifully chaotic scene calms once it reaches Mary. Mary embodies the spirit of a mother, she attempts to stay calm throughout all the disorder as she tenderly clasps the lifeless body of her beloved son. Therefore, the immense amount of people around the body seem to at first take attention away from the true iconography of the buon fresco, instead it helps reveal to the audience the true pietà of the scene: pity for Mary. Additionally, the two hooded figures in the foreground appear to frame Mary grasping Jesus which ultimately draws the viewer’s eye to the true theme of the painting. The positioning of such characters, along with their distinct presentations, evoke a sense of pity in the audience as they watch the tragic scene through the eyes of the two hooded figures in the