Gothic fresco of suggestive power
Ambrogio Lorenzetti's "Effects of Good Government in the Country" is one of the key works of the Gothic master. At a time when saints and biblical scenes dominated painting, the artist dealt with worldly things. This work was created as part of a fresco cycle for the town hall of Siena, which was commissioned by the ruling officials.
While the other frescoes depict life in the city, Lorenzetti shows us the free land in this masterpiece. This presents itself with levels, hills, water, with a perspective that gives the impression that the artist has painted the excerpt from a map here. Undoubtedly, the topography has been important to the Gothic painter. He describes the landscape and thus the country life picturesquely with all its facets of width, height, depth, cultivated area and untouched nature.

An angel with a scroll in the upper left corner is the only feature that represents the connection to religious painting. He seems to float into the picture and announce an eternal truth.
But humans also have an important role to play in this fresco. In the foreground of the picture we see nobles on horses and easier people on foot from the city towards the countryside and vice versa. The city as such is characterized by a single building on the left-hand side, symbolizing the right to profit from the "good government" in the countryside.

Living in harmony, in harmony with nature
This landscape is a flourishing country. The artist uses beautiful hues to depict nature in all its beauty. All possible blue, green and earth tones alternate in a harmonious play of colors. An intense dark blue sky spreads out over it: a royal blue, which can also be found on the other frescoes depicting city life and is considered as a connecting feature to these works. The fresco is extremely cheerful and harmonious. Everything seems to radiate activity, zest for life. Palms in the lower right part of the picture stretch happily towards the sky. In the distance you can see bushes around the lakeshore. Other trees spread loosely over a hill or seem to have been deliberately planted along the ridge. In this work, the viewer can go for a walk and discover details again and again. Nevertheless, the view is first directed to the center of the picture: a golden shimmering field that continues like a river into the distance in the distance to the rear. Also in this field are horses, probably at the field work, to recognize. In the background you can find a typical homestead for Italy. This fresco is more than a picture. It is the commitment to a government that stands up for the well-being of the people. Regardless of whether these people live in the city or in the countryside.

A good government ensures that there is no war. Accordingly, the fresco radiates peace and harmony. Animals and humans co-exist side by side as the pig proves with its owner on the way up. A rider who rides down from the city, ie from the left side of the picture, bends back to talk to a pedestrian. What he says is unclear. This is exactly what makes this fresco so rich: Here stories are told that can be further spun in the imagination of the beholder.
The allegory of good governance refers to Siena. A city that, like Florence, stood early for the economic and cultural flowering of northern Italy. The fresco shows the pride and contentment of its inhabitants, who live a lively exchange between urban and rural areas. Bridges and fortified paths testify to the achievements of man. At the same time, nature appears in all its beauty that is self-sufficient.

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Effects of Good Government in the Countryside, 1388-40 by Ambrogio Lorenzetti. Available as an art print on canvas, photo paper, watercolor board, uncoated paper or Japanese paper.
effect · landscape · farming · cultivation · allegory · medieval · city wall · emblem · wolf · field · ploughing · middle ages · Palazzo Pubblico, Siena, Italy / Bridgeman Images