Masaccio
| Born | Tommaso di Ser Giovanni di Mone (Simone) ... |
| Died | summer 1428 (aged 26) Rome, Papal States |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Known for | Painting, Fresco |
What is Masaccio famous for?
In the span of only six years, Masaccio radically transformed Florentine painting. His art eventually helped create many of the major conceptual and stylistic foundations of Western painting. Seldom has such a brief life been so important to the history of art.
What kind of artist was Masaccio?
PaintingFrescoMasaccio/FormsMasaccio is often credited as the first truly Renaissance artist. A tragically early end to his life cut short his progress, yet his outstanding work altered the course of Western art.
What is Tommaso Guidi's Masaccio most notable work of art?
Anne (Uffizi), an early work in collaboration with the painter Masolino da Panicale; and his masterpiece—a major monument in the history of art—the frescoes in the Brancacci Chapel of Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence, begun by Masolino and completed many years later by Filippino Lippi.
Who did Masaccio influence?
Masolino da PanicaleDomenico GhirlandaioBernardo RossellinoElisa Maria BoglinoMasaccio/Influenced
What did Masaccio create?
MasaccioNationalityItalianKnown forPainting, FrescoNotable workBrancacci Chapel (Expulsion from the Garden of Eden, Tribute Money) c. 1425–28 Pisa Altarpiece 1426 Holy Trinity c. 1427MovementEarly Renaissance6 more rows
What are Leonardo da Vinci's two most famous paintings?
10 Famous Artworks by Leonardo da VinciMona Lisa (c. 1503–19) ... Last Supper (c. 1495–98) ... Vitruvian Man (c. 1490) ... Self Portrait (c. 1490/1515–16) ... The Virgin of the Rocks (c. 1483–86) ... Head of a Woman (1500–10) Leonardo da Vinci: Head of a Woman. ... Lady with an Ermine (c. 1489–91) ... Salvator Mundi (c. 1500)More items...
Who was the first great painter of the Renaissance?
MasaccioAmong these creative pioneers was the artist known as Masaccio (1401-1428) who, along with his contemporaries, paved the way for later Renaissance art. His use of linear perspective and the vanishing point, as well as his acute attention to realism, made him the first great painter of the Italian Renaissance.
Who painted the Holy Trinity?
MasaccioHoly Trinity / Artist
What idea did Alberti introduce in his famous work?
Alberti believed that good and praiseworthy paintings need to have convincing three-dimensional space, such as we see in Perugino's fresco. In the first section of On Painting, he explains how to construct logical, rational space based on mathematical principles.
Who painted the Mona Lisa?
Leonardo da VinciMona Lisa / ArtistLeonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. Wikipedia
How did Masaccio enhance the look of the fresco above?
How did Masaccio enhance the look of the fresco above? All of the above (he painted using a high contrast, he illuminated the figures from outside light sources, he painted Jesus in lighter colors than the other figures) (???) What characteristic of Donatello's work helps to define him?
What media did Masaccio use?
PaintingFrescoMasaccio/Forms
10. Masaccio Was Born At A Time Of Great Artistic Development
Born in Arezzo in 1401, Tommaso di Ser Giovanni di Simone would undoubtedly have felt the cultural, political and artistic shockwaves that emanated out of Florence during his youth. Across the previous century, the city had produced some of the hallmarks of the Italian Renaissance, from the Medici Bank to Dante’s Divine Comedy.
8. He Completed Impressive Projects While Still A Young Man
One of the earliest works attributed to Tomasso as an independent artist is the San Giovenale altarpiece, found in a church near his hometown. The triptych is particularly notable for its depth; the painter has used his understanding of proportion and perspective to give the figures a three-dimensional appearance.
7. Masaccio Collaborated With Another Important Artist
Another of Tomasso’s early works was a joint endeavor with the painter Tommaso di Cristoforo Fini, with whom he would go on to have a life-long artistic partnership. In fact, it was to distinguish the two Tomassos that the former received the nickname ‘Masaccio’ (‘Clumsy Tom’) and the latter ‘Masolino’ (‘Delicate Tom’).
6. Masaccio Had Other Famous Friends
As a young man in Florence, Masaccio was surrounded by a large number of venerable older artists and talented young painters. Among them were the famous figures of Brunelleschi and Donatello, with whom Masaccio is known to have been acquainted and who had allegedly helped him to establish his relationship with Masolino.
5. Masaccio Distinguished Himself With His Revolutionary Style
Masaccio approached the human form with an understanding of perspective and proportion that was rare among his contemporaries. He was among the first Italian artists to use the idea of linear perspective and vanishing points to ensure that his scenes and figures appeared life-like and natural.
4. His New Approach Led To Some Impressive Commissions
In 1424, Masaccio and Masolino were commissioned to paint a series of frescoes to decorate the interior walls of the Brancacci Chapel in Florence, funded by the influential and rich silk-merchant Felice Brancacci.
3. His Greatest Masterpiece Was One Of His Final Works
The Holy Trinity is one of Masaccio’s most impressive and important works but was also one of his last. The symmetry of the surrounding figures and building draw the eye straight to the crucified Christ, whose ghostly white body stands out vividly in the center of the painting.
Summary of Masaccio
Masaccio is often credited as the first truly Renaissance artist. A tragically early end to his life cut short his progress, yet his outstanding work altered the course of Western art.
Accomplishments
One of the most significant innovations in art - and no less architecture and engineering - during the Renaissance, was the use of linear perspective to create the illusion of depth in a two-dimensional rendering.
Biography of Masaccio
Masaccio was born Tommaso di Ser Giovanni di Simone Cassai in the winter of 1401 in a town close to Florence. His father was Ser Giovanni di Simone Cassai, a notary, and his mother Monna Iacopa, the daughter of an innkeeper. Masaccio and his brother Giovanni both became painters, though neither of their parents had been artists.
Progression of Art
This is the earliest known work by Masaccio, dated April 23 rd 1422 in the inscription running along the bottom edge of the three panels. It was commissioned by the Vanni Castellani family of Florence and originally resided in the church of San Lorenzo, before being moved to San Giovenale.
Useful Resources on Masaccio
The books and articles below constitute a bibliography of the sources used in the writing of this page. These also suggest some accessible resources for further research, especially ones that can be found and purchased via the internet.
Related Artists
"Masaccio Artist Overview and Analysis". [Internet]. . TheArtStory.org
Early life
Masaccio was born to Giovanni di Simone Cassai and Jacopa di Martinozzo in Castel San Giovanni di Altura, now San Giovanni Valdarno (today part of the province of Arezzo, Tuscany ). His father was a notary and his mother the daughter of an innkeeper of Barberino di Mugello, a town a few miles north of Florence.
First works
The first works attributed to Masaccio are the San Giovenale Triptych (1422), now in the Masaccio Museum of Sacred Art in Cascia di Reggello near Florence, and the Virgin and Child with Saint Anne (Sant'Anna Metterza) (c. 1424) at the Uffizi.
Maturity
In Florence, Masaccio could study the works of Giotto and become friends with Brunelleschi and Donatello. According to Vasari, at their prompting in 1423 Masaccio travelled to Rome with Masolino: from that point he was freed of all Gothic and Byzantine influence, as seen in his altarpiece for the Carmelite Church in Pisa.
Brancacci Chapel
In 1424, the "duo preciso e noto" ("well and known duo") of Masaccio and Masolino was commissioned by the powerful and wealthy Felice Brancacci to execute a cycle of frescoes for the Brancacci Chapel in the church of Santa Maria del Carmine in Florence.
Pisa Altarpiece
On February 19, 1426, Masaccio was commissioned by Giuliano di Colino degli Scarsi da San Giusto, for the sum of 80 florins, to paint a major altarpiece, the Pisa Altarpiece, for his chapel in the church of Santa Maria del Carmine in Pisa.
Holy Trinity
Around 1427 Masaccio won a prestigious commission to produce a Holy Trinity for the Dominican church of Santa Maria Novella in Florence.
Other paintings
Masaccio produced two other works, a Nativity and an Annunciation, now lost, before leaving for Rome, where his companion Masolino was frescoing a chapel with scenes from the life of St. Catherine in the Basilica di San Clemente.
Overview
Masaccio , born Tommaso di Ser Giovanni di Simone, was a Florentine artist who is regarded as the first great Italian painter of the Quattrocento period of the Italian Renaissance. According to Vasari, Masaccio was the best painter of his generation because of his skill at imitating nature, recreating lifelike figures and movements as well as a convincing sense of three-dimensionality. He employ…
Early life
Masaccio was born to Giovanni di Simone Cassai and Jacopa di Martinozzo in Castel San Giovanni di Altura, now San Giovanni Valdarno (today part of the province of Arezzo, Tuscany). His father was a notary and his mother the daughter of an innkeeper of Barberino di Mugello, a town a few miles north of Florence. His family name, Cassai, comes from the trade of his paternal grandfather Simone and granduncle Lorenzo, who were carpenters/cabinet makers (casse, henc…
First works
The first works attributed to Masaccio are the San Giovenale Triptych (1422), now in the Masaccio Museum of Sacred Art in Cascia di Reggello near Florence, and the Virgin and Child with Saint Anne (Sant'Anna Metterza) (c. 1424) at the Uffizi.
The San Giovenale altarpiece was discovered in 1961 in the church of San Gio…
The first works attributed to Masaccio are the San Giovenale Triptych (1422), now in the Masaccio Museum of Sacred Art in Cascia di Reggello near Florence, and the Virgin and Child with Saint Anne (Sant'Anna Metterza) (c. 1424) at the Uffizi.
The San Giovenale altarpiece was discovered in 1961 in the church of San Gio…
Maturity
In Florence, Masaccio could study the works of Giotto and become friends with Brunelleschi and Donatello. According to Vasari, at their prompting in 1423 Masaccio travelled to Rome with Masolino: from that point he was freed of all Gothic and Byzantine influence, as seen in his altarpiece for the Carmelite Church in Pisa. The traces of influences from ancient Roman and Greek art that are present in some of Masaccio's works presumably originated from this trip: the…
Brancacci Chapel
In 1424, the "duo preciso e noto" ("well and known duo") of Masaccio and Masolino was commissioned by the powerful and wealthy Felice Brancacci to execute a cycle of frescoes for the Brancacci Chapel in the church of Santa Maria del Carmine in Florence. With the two artists probably working simultaneously, the painting began around 1425, but for unknown reasons the chapel was left …
Pisa Altarpiece
On February 19, 1426, Masaccio was commissioned by Giuliano di Colino degli Scarsi da San Giusto, for the sum of 80 florins, to paint a major altarpiece, the Pisa Altarpiece, for his chapel in the church of Santa Maria del Carmine in Pisa. The work was dismantled and dispersed in the 18th century, and only eleven of about twenty original panels have been rediscovered in various collections around the world. The central panel of the altarpiece (The Madonna and Child) is no…
Holy Trinity
Around 1427 Masaccio won a prestigious commission to produce a Holy Trinity for the Dominican church of Santa Maria Novella in Florence. No contemporary documents record the patron of the fresco, but recently references to ownership of a tomb at the foot of the fresco have been found in the records of the Berti family of the Santa Maria Novella Quarter of Florence; this working-class famil…
Other paintings
Masaccio produced two other works, a Nativity and an Annunciation, now lost, before leaving for Rome, where his companion Masolino was frescoing a chapel with scenes from the life of St. Catherine in the Basilica di San Clemente. It has never been confirmed that Masaccio collaborated on that work, even though it is possible that he contributed to Masolino's polyptych for the altar of Santa Maria Maggiore with his panel portraying St. Jerome and St. John the Baptist, now in the N…