Healing the Man Born Blind

Duccio di Buoninsegna, Healing the Man Born Blind, (detail) 1308–1311. Tempera on wood, The National Gallery, London.

Duccio di Buoninsegna (circa 1255–circa 1319) was an Italian artist whose work significantly departed from the established sharp, staid lines of Byzantine art. He began to soften figures, making hands, faces, and feet more highly expressive. Duccio pioneered the use of inviting, warm colors to draw in his viewers. His delicate technique achieved a unique beauty that made him one of the most important painters in fourteenth century Italy. Here Duccio masterfully depicts a scene from the Bible (Mark 8:22-26) wherein Jesus, the central figure in the composition, heals the eyes of a blind man.