Masaccio

Masaccio the great Tuscan artist of the Quattrocento revolutionized painting in little more than five years of activity ogether with Brunelleschi and Donatello creating the new art of humanism Born in San Giovanni Valdarno on December 21 1401 the son of a respected notary Masaccio Tommaso was his real name and the derogatory nickname by which he is known —Masaccio da Tommasaccio— It wasn't because he was bad but because he was so absorbed in painting that he neglected everything else even eating and how he dressed In 1406 following the sudden and premature death of his father just 27 years old The artist's family moves to Florence There Tommaso receives a solid academic education He begins to show his passion for painting One of Masaccio's earliest works has only recently been identified by scholars It is the San Giovenale Triptych preserved in Cascia di Reggello near Florence and on which the exact completion date is also inscribed April 23 1422 Around 1423 Giovanissimo enters the workshop of his fellow townsman Masolino da Panicale a painter already quite famous yet one who still feels free to express himself according to his own ideas Together with Masolino Masaccio instead created the Sant'Anna Metterza around 1425 Metterza means The master also known as Masolino paints the face of Saint Anne as she is the most significant figure Yet it is the face of the Madonna painted by Masaccio so modern spontaneous and radiant It draws all eyes to itself Alone in 1426 Masaccio painted the Pisa Polyptych whose panels unfortunately have been partially lost while those remaining are scattered across museums worldwide such as the Madonna Enthroned in London and the Crucifixion in Naples During the same years the two painters and friends worked together on the frescoes of the Brancacci Chapel the church of Santa Maria del Carmine in Florence sharing the work amicably among themselves For instance the scaffold on which they had to work It was arranged so that one person could paint on the central wall while the other worked one of the side walls without getting in each other's way Masolino despite admiring his younger pupil remains faithful to the Gothic tradition more static and composed as shown by the comparison between Adam and Eve painted by Masaccio during their expulsion from the earthly paradise and the same paintings by Masolino showing the serpent tempting Eve Among the other frescoes in the Brancacci Chapel Masaccio begins painting that of the resurrection of the son of Teophilo dove into the crowd of figures also portrays himself alongside his friends Masolino Alberti and Brunelleschi the fresco however remains unfinished due to the departure of the two artists for Rome it remained unfinished until Filippino Lippi completed it 60 years later Before his journey to Rome Masaccio creates a new masterpiece the fresco of the Trinity at Santa Maria Novella in Florence It is another revolutionary work where divine figures are placed within a highly realistic and tangible space and perspective rather than the blue and gold of Byzantine and Gothic painting In Rome the two artists created several works some of which have been lost and others that critics have yet to fully grasp o identify with certainty According to some scholars Masaccio may have painted the two knights in the lower left corner Masolino's Crucifixion fresco in the church of San Clemente In the autumn of 1428 they were supposed to depart for Hungary where Masolino had already been and where the king wanted them at his court But on the eve of the journey Masaccio dies suddenly at just under 27 years old possibly from poisoning Masolino continued alone working also in northern Italy until 1440 Masaccio was the first to apply the mathematical principles of perspective defined in those years to painting by the architect Filippo Brunelleschi He did it with such precision that in many cases such as in the Trinity scholars have been able to reconstruct the exact space in which Masaccio worked ad set the scene Masaccio's influence on Italian painting was fundamental and many artists studied and drew inspiration from him including the great Michelangelo