Masaccio

(1401-1428)

"The Cornerstone"

Masaccio, originally named Tommaso Cassai, was born near Florence, Italy, in 1401. Along with the sculptor Donatello and the architect Brunelleschi, Mascaccio was the founder of the Italian Renaissance, whose innovations in the use of scientific perspective initiated the modern era of painting.. Masaccio’s artistic style moved away from the then popular Gothic style, using a more natural, realistic approach that appeared more three dimensional. He borrowed little from the styles of other painters except for the 14th century master Giotto. His highly individualistic style was more strongly influenced by two of his contemporaries in Florence, the sculptor Donatello and the architecht Brunelleschi. Combining his understanding of the mathmatical principles of proportion that he gained from Brunelleschi and the knowledge of classical art he gained from Donatello he developed his own style, utilizing perspective, light and simplicity to create his masterpieces.

There are only four works that scholars agree were painted by Masaccio, although there are many other works that he may have painted or assisted in painting. All of these works are religious pieces such as altar pieces or church frescos. Donatello’s influence is evident in his “Madonna with St. Anne”, painted around 1423. The rounded forms and realistic skin textures reflect the classical style. Masaccio was the first artist to use full perspective in Western art when he completed the fresco “Trinity” in 1425. In 1427, Masaccio completed six frescos in the Brancacci chapel include two scenes considered his masterpieces: “Tribute Money” and “Expulsion from Paradise.” These works illustrate another of his innovations: the use of light as if from a single source instead of painting sceens in a flat uniform light. The resulting lights and shadows gave his paintings a natural feel that was new in his day. Masaccio’s art strongly influenced later Florentine artists, especially Michelangelo. He died in Rome, at the age of 27.

Historians say that the "world woke up" in the early 1400s. The Renaissance began in Florence, Italy, and eventually disseminated to Rome and Venice, then in, 1500, to the rest of Europe. The art of ancient Greece and Rome were discovered, which led to a worldwide frenzy for the arts, the scientific study of the body and the natural world, and the want to reproduce reality in a more realistic manner. The new technological knowledge of anatomy permitted artists to achieve this. Exploration of new continents and scientific helped man boost self-confidence and the Protestant Reformation decreased the importance of the church. The study of man became the center of the Renaissance thought, not the devotion to God.

During the Renaissance, technical innovation and creative discoveries made by Massacio helped create new ways of representing real physical structures. One of the majoy breakthroughts that the magnificence of Renaissance art is attributed to is the incipient use of oil on stretched canvas instead of tepera paint on wood panels.Oil on canvas became the medium of choice during the Renaissance because it allowed a greater range or rich colors with smooth gradations of tone. This permitted painters to represent textures and simulate dimensional form.

The use of perspective also played an eminent role in the creation of such masterpieces as Massacio's. Linear perspective created the optical effect of objects receding in the distance through lines that dimish to a single point in the pictue called the vanishing point. Painters also began to reduce to size and muted the colors of objects as they receded into the background.

Chiaroscuro, an Italian word for "light/dark," is the new technique that is used for modeling forms by whcih lighter parts seemed to emerge from darker areas, producing the illusion of rounded, sculptural relief on a flat surface. A pyramid configuration allowed a more three dimensional quality to paintings. The shape of a pyramid allowed points to diverge to the figure's head, a natural focal point.

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