For centuries, from 1300 to 1800, the leading genre of European painting was history painting. Gods, heroes, and figures from pagan, Jewish, and Christian legends were brought to life on canvas. Ivan Nagel illustrates the rise of the new history painting from 1300 to 1500. In a widespread misconception, the works of Giotto, Masaccio, and Leonardo were seen as "narrative images." However, Ivan Nagel demonstrates that their vivid presentation of action does not share the qualities of epic or novel, but rather aligns with drama, which they renew long before the advent of theater. The author shows how Giotto and Dante together discover art as visible speech, "visibile parlare," as a dialogue of gestures, expressions, and glances; how Giotto portrays his lifelong hero, Francis of Assisi, first as a rebellious social reformer, then as a canonized miracle worker, and ultimately as a modern human being.