1. Ambrogio, like his brother Pietro, demonstrated the impact of Florentine art. In 1342, both brothers completed altarpieces for the narrative series on the life of the Virgin for the Sienese Duomo.
2. Ambrogio has illustrated the Gospel text of Luke on the altar including a reference to the offering of two turtle doves. He depicted difference in age and feeling: Christ child in innocence and Mary’s gentle pride. He sought to represent details of everyday life.
3. His most revolutionary achievement was his series of fresco paintings lining three walls of a room in the Palazzo Pubblico.
4. He was initially called upon to paint allegorical depictions of good and bad government and represent these effects in both town and country—the result was the first panoramic city and countryscape since antiquity and the first expansive portrait of a city and landscape.
5. The cycle was usually identified as Good and Bad Government, but in 1427 St. Bernardo of Siena referred to it as War and Peace. The position of the two governments is significant in the Good was placed on the most illuminated walls and Bad was left in the shadows.
6. The compositions have no set geometric relationships which mimics the irregular city plan of Siena itself. On one wall is the commune of Siena enthroned guided by Faith, Hope, and Charity. Other figures such as Justice, Wisdom, Commutative Justice, Distributive Justice, and Concord are set on either side for their civic significance.
7. Good Government in the City and the Country is a continuous vista takes one not only through the streets, alleys, and squares of Siena, but also includes buildings, trees, farms, bridges, animals, etc. He neglected perfect scale of people to buildings and instead focused on getting the big picture.
8. It is said that Ambrogio followed a medieval idea of scale to an extent which set the figures apart from the landscape. He used this process as well as variation in his rendering of detail to achieve the panoramic view of civic significance.
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