Background
Giovanni Pisano was born c. 1245, in Pisa. He was the son of the famous sculptor Nicola Pisano.
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Giovanni Pisano
Edit ProfileEducation
He received his training in the workshop of his father.
Career
From 1265 to 1278 Giovanni assisted or collaborated with his father. About 1284 he was commissioned to design and adorn the façade of the cathedral of Siena, and in 1290 he was made master of the works of the cathedral, about the same time becoming a citizen of Siena. Toward the end of the century, he returned to Pisa, acting as architect and sculptor for the cathedral buildings. In 1301 he finished the pulpit for Sant' Andrea, Pistoia, which is architecturally similar to the pulpits of his father. Giovanni's work, however, is considerably freer in style, using figures in motion and other dramatic devices to stress the psychological component in his scenes of Christ's life. From 1302 to 1310 Pisano worked on a similar but more complicated pulpit for the cathedral of Pisa, some parts of which are now in Berlin and New York. He also made a number of statues of the Madonna, and he left unfinished a tomb for the Empress Margaret, which is in Genoa.
Achievements
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He is best known for his sculpture which shows the influence of both the French Gothic and the Ancient Roman art. Henry Moore, referring to his statues for the facade of Siena Cathedral, called him "the first modern sculptor".
One of his pupils was Giovanni di Balduccio, who also became a famous sculptor, and the architect and sculptor Agostino da Siena. He also had an influence on the painter Pietro Lorenzetti. Giorgio Vasari included a biography of Pisano in his book Le vite dei più eccellenti pittori, scultori, e architetti
The asteroid 7313 Pisano was named to honour Nicola and Giovanni Pisano.
