Before The Early Renaissance - Duccio

In Siena, the first great name in painting was Duccio di Buoninsegna, who was responsible for the Sinese School. Little is known about Duccio's early life other than he was born in the second half of the thirteenth century. Duccio tended to ignore frescoes in favor of painting panels. Like Giotto, Duccio developed new styles of painting, "but whereas Giotto concentrated on massive volume and depth, Duccio emphasized color and line as a means of conveying mood and dramatic intensity."
Duccio was also the first to have the reputation of the 'nonconforming artist.' Duccio's life was rife with trouble of all kinds, ranging from heavy personal debts to dabbling in sorcery-which turned out not to be a big deal to the city because around the same time Duccio was commissioned to paint the greatest project of his career: The Maesta("the Virgin in Maesta"), "a huge panel painting for the high altar of the cathedral, double-sided which included twenty-six scenes from the Passion on the front panel and episodes from the life of Christ on the reverse side."
This extaordinary piece is hailed as "the very key to the values of the Sinese School; its exquisite drawing and sensitive colors, its fanciful air that masks a foundation of faultless craftsmanship, its harmonious composition..." In other words: the piece is simply magnificent.