Description
The Raising of Lazarus in the Scrovegni Chapel is one of the most intense episodes in the cycle of Christ's life. Giotto depicts the moment when Jesus, standing at the left, commands Lazarus to return to life. The revived man appears at the right still wrapped in burial cloths, while Martha and Mary kneel before Christ and a group of witnesses responds with astonishment, fear and wonder.
The composition is structured by the powerful visual relationship between Christ and Lazarus. Jesus extends his arm toward the dead man, creating a directional force that crosses the pictorial space. His gaze reinforces this axis, while the reactions of the intermediate figures make the impact of the miracle visible. Their inclined bodies counterbalance the vertical figures of Jesus and Lazarus and help organize the space.
