Francis was a saint who had many religious and spiritual insights. He believed that intellect achieves truth and faith, and that personal experience is very important. In order to understand God and be truly converted, Francis believed that God needed to be experienced for oneself. He also had a strong connection and passion for the beauty of the natural world which caused him to have a futile mindset towards formal philosophy. His views and ideas of the natural world left a significant impact on young Giotto, a young Italian painter. Giotto looked at how nature was. In his works, he portrayed a direct observation of nature as he modeled with light and shading, used human emotions, and attempted to create linear perspective. Giotto had received this inspiration for his works from St. Francis as he tried to continue the observations and beauty of nature in his paintings. .
In both Giotto's and Francis' renderings of Madonna Enthroned, it is clear that both artists tried to gather natural characteristics for their paintings, although one, Giotto, was more successful. Giotto was born much later/after Francis, which impacted him to use more modern techniques than what Francis had been accustomed to. Giotto creates correct body anatomy in the Madonna in the middle; her linens show gravity as they are draped over her knee which shows to be correct proportions with her body along side with the natural sizing of body parts like the head. Francis, on the other hand, did not demonstrate this quality very well. The Madonna appears to be out of proportion and not natural. .
Giotto truly did look at how nature was, and because of this, his paintings were much more realistic. In both the Madonna Enthroned and Lamentation, which is found in the Arena Chapel, the figures show emotion, correct anatomy, and linear perspective. In Lamentation, the figures create a type of narrative and tell the story of Christ dying.
