The founder of Renaissance painting, the master of the Florentine school, Masaccio (real name Tommaso di Giovanni di Simone Gvidi) was born in 1401 in the family of a master for the manufacture and painting of chests. From an early age, the boy was attracted to family business, where his talent was noticed by his father and grandfather. Having moved to Florence, due to the death of his father and then stepfather, he became the main breadwinner of a large family. His artistic talent was noticed by leading artists Masolino, Donatello and Brunelleschi. Training, collaboration with these great masters brought Masaccio's talent to the highest level. The artist received the unsightly nickname Masaccio (Gryaznul) because of the full dedication of his life to painting. He was not interested in anything but paints and work.
The most famous paintings of Masaccio:
1
Triptych of San Jovenale (1422)
Masaccio's first major dated work is a small triptych made on wood. It was discovered quite by accident in 1961 in the church of St. Juvenalia near the town of San Giovanni Valdarno. In the center of this altar triptych is the Madonna with the baby Jesus Christ in her arms, two angels kneeling at her feet. The sides of the triptych are dedicated to Saints Ambrose, Juvenal, Bartholomew and Blaise.
All figures are depicted on a golden classic background of the Gothic religious style. The figures are depicted in shackled Gothic poses, limited by the requirements for church images. The first signs of a renaissance in this work are visible in the use of perspective in building the throne of the Virgin. This work was done by Masaccio at the beginning of his creative career, but it is already visible here that the artist strives to build a perspective, to make voluminous folds of clothes.
2
Fresco "Baptism of the Neophytes" (1427)
The famous Brancacci Chapel was painted with frescoes by Masaccio. Among them, the real pearl of fresco painting - the fresco "Baptism of the Neophytes", according to most-beauty, deserves special attention. It is devoted to the theme of the deeds of the Apostles, and depicts a moment in the life of St. Peter - the baptism of new Christians (neophytes). In those days, the main religious style of painting was the Gothic style. The appearance of the first realistic images on the walls of the temple caused a storm of indignation among the churchmen - the figures of people on this fresco were considered too carnal.
But over time, this fresco was recognized as an outstanding artistic masterpiece. Of all the figures depicted in the fresco, the figure of the second naked young man admires, she stands out sharply from the rest of the characters. The young man clasped his arms, waiting for his turn. From this position, you can immediately determine that a person is frozen. In the crowd, another neophyte prepares for baptism, takes off his clothes. A temporary chain of events appears. The image takes on dynamism. The artist’s ability to reliably depict the human body, luxurious colors of frescoes elevate this work to the level of world masterpieces.
By the way, on our site most-beauty.ru there is an interesting article about the most beautiful frescoes by Michelangelo Buonarotti.
3
Fresco "Trinity" (1427)
The non-canonical image of the crucifix performed by Masaccio looks somewhat unusual. The illusion of a complex architectural fragment is a real renaissance, with an understanding of form and perspective. A huge six-meter fresco depicts God the Father, who spread his arms over the crucified Christ. The composition is skillfully inscribed in the arch of the triumphal ancient Roman arch.
The visual effect of this mural is that all the figures seem to fit into the real niche of the building. Many architectural details are made with perfect precision. Given that the method of writing the mural required quick, accurate work, the artist had extremely high efficiency and the highest quality of painting. As soon as the work was finished, the untimely death interrupted the path of the artist and robbed the world of another great master of the Renaissance.
4
Fresco "The Miracle with the Statier" (1425-1428)
According to many art historians, this painting by Masaccio is his best work. This huge fresco (2 × 5 m), given the time of its creation, stepped its time a whole century forward. Contemporaries of this fresco are still made in the Gothic style, their flat, static figures are placed in a faceless two-dimensional space. Masaccio impressed with his unique skill in depicting voluminous, realistic figures of people in three-dimensional, living space.
The right perspective and clear forms of architectural structures are immediately evident. The buildings and landscape depicted in the fresco play the same huge role as the beautifully executed figures of people. The harmony of space creates a full sense of reality. Bright and saturated colors of the fresco prevail shades of red, but there is no feeling of satiety with this color, on the contrary, it fits perfectly into the cold blue-blue and beige tones of the mountain landscape. The folds of clothes, the shadows cast by the figures make the image voluminous, and the figures are realistic.
5
Madonna and Child (1426)
This painting was done by tempera on a poplar board. In those days, artists created this paint themselves, grinding natural pigments with egg yolk and glue. The image was velvet and soft. The work reflects the desire of the master to perform a high-quality figure drawing with ideal proportions. The spirit of the Renaissance is inherent in it.
The splendidly painted marble throne, on which the Mother of God and baby sit, is a real masterpiece. At the feet of the Madonna, a pair of little angels play the lutes, and two seraphs peep out from behind a magnificent throne. The deep blue color of Madonna's tunic goes well with the purple of her dress and the delicate body of a baby. Expressive pleats emphasize the shape of the figure. The sad face of the Madonna is directed at the baby of Christ, childishly pulling fingers in his mouth.
The innovativeness of the artist, his experiments with form and color emphasize his great craftsmanship and desire for the ideal.
6
Worship (1426)
This painting is the only work of Masaccio that has an exact date of creation. This is evidenced by official documents. It is a fragment of the large Leaning Polyptych, which was considered lost, but fortunately, most of it was found and stored in museums. The size of the painting is small - only 20 × 60 cm. The work was done on a wooden board with tempera.
The abundance of characters make this beautiful picture a real miniature, an illustration for the plot of the Nativity of Christ. She depicts the worship of the Magi, who brought rich gifts to the infant Jesus. A long procession lined up in front of Mary, who holds in her arms a newborn chubby baby. Beautiful images of animals complete the picture, and the calm mountain landscape confirms the artist’s mastery. Light clouds float across the ultramarine sky. The cover of the Virgin Mary and one of the Magi is of the same color. A special place in the picture is occupied by horses. They are depicted from different angles, which gives the picture dynamism and depth.
Masaccio differed from his fellow contemporaries in that he was the only one who knew how to correctly “put” a figure on a plane. Before Masaccio, the figures simply hung in space, but for him, all people stand on the ground.
7
Resurrection of the son of Theophilus (1426-1502)
The cycle of frescoes that Masaccio performed for the chapel of Brancacci, the Florentine church of Santa Maria del Carmine, broke off to create the grandiose fresco "The Resurrection of Theophilus' Son." It was copied from 1480-1502 by Filippino Lippi, which significantly changed the original appearance of the fresco.
In the fresco of Masaccio, witnesses of the miracle of the resurrection created by Saint Peter are contemporaries of the artist (perhaps these are members of the Brancacci family). However, Lippi rewrote St. Peter, and replaced the figures present with his contemporaries.
8
Christmas (year of creation unknown)
This work is the front part of the Berlin Tondo, made by tempera on wood. The diameter of the picture is 56 cm. This is a specific thing, a tray, it was presented to a woman in honor of the birth of a child. The front of the tray depicts Christmas, and the back is decorated with an image of an angel playing with a dog.
Christmas is a complex composition, replete with various figures, architectural details, using the perspective. The small size and monumentality of the picture make it a real masterpiece of the renaissance. The atmosphere and costumes of the heroes correspond to the time of the artist. A very colorful and vivid picture made with the greatest skill.
9
Madonna Cassini (1426)
Despite its small size, only 24 × 18 cm, the painting "Madonna Cassini" is a real masterpiece. She was discovered by chance among the values that the Nazis tried to take out of Italy at the end of their fall. On the back of the picture is a stamp with the coat of arms of Cardinal Antonio Cassini. This gave the corresponding name to the picture.
On a canonical gold background depicts the Madonna and Child Jesus. The picture is painted in the Gothic style. But this is only at first glance - if you just take a closer look at the pose of Mary and the baby, you can immediately see how much the image differs from the canonical Gothic madonnas.
Masaccio portrayed Maria as a tender mother who plays with her child, tickles him by the neck. And the baby reacts to tickling, trying to catch the mother’s hand. Madonna's face is sad. She seems to foresee the future that is destined for her son.
The picture is striking in the subtlety of writing, expressiveness. Each curl is written out on the baby’s head. Small details of the swaddle and clothes are striking in their subtlety and craftsmanship. Despite the canonical golden background, the faces and figures of people look voluminous.
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Afterword
In the photo: Self-portrait of Masaccio, a fragment of the fresco "St. Peter at the pulpit"
Masaccio is a unique phenomenon of its era. He became the founder of the Renaissance, but, unfortunately, his work broke off at the very rise. Having lived only 27 years, this man has earned the title of one of the greatest artists of the Early Renaissance. On this most-beauty.ru ends its article, but below we will publish several more famous paintings by the Italian painter.
Some more beautiful paintings by Masaccio:
Crucifix (1426)
Portrait of a Young Man (1425)
Madonna and Child (1426)
Distribution of property and death of Ananias (1425)
Crucifixion of St. Peter (1426)
Saint Peter heals the sick with his shadow (1427)
Saints Jerome and John the Baptist (1428)
Madonna and Child with Saint Anne (1425)
That's all! Write in the comments which Masaccio paintings impressed you the most.