The Holy Trinity is lauded for its avant-garde implementation of the linear perspective projection, marking the repudiation of the medieval two-dimensionality towards the possibilities of three-dimensional realism through atmospheric and linear perspective. This facilitated the formation of the Renaissance style characterized by a greater sense of depth and naturalism. Inspired by Brunelleschi’s new architectural principles of linear perspective, Masaccio portrays the Holy Trinity within a compositional framework of the extruded barrel-vaulted ceiling, “expertly creating an illusion of depth” (Auffenberg 5). Masaccio’s technique was sophisticated and innovative, as, from the right angle, the fresco worked as a trompe l’oeil, creating an illusion that the depicted objects/subjects existed in three dimensions.
Below the Trinity, Masaccio depicts the figures of Mary and John, as well as the full-size portraits of the two donors, likely of the Lenzi family. It marks the first time the donors were “portrayed on the same scale as the divine figures,” which was a “significant innovation,” foreshadowing the importance of patronage in the High Renaissance (Auffenberg 5). Masaccio’s figures come across as real individuals, both in naturalistic depiction and character, appearing “full of emotion and dignity” (Auffenberg 6). Below the donors, the fresco depicts the tomb of Adam as a memento mori, which was unconventional in Florence’s artistic tradition. This originality and pushing the artistic standards signified the self-confidence and ambitiousness of the Renaissance.
Inspired by the Gospel of Matthew 17:24-27, The Tribute Money depicts a three-part composite scene from the life of Saint Peter, which was “a rare iconographical theme in Florence” during Proto-Renaissance (Auffenberg 4). At the center, a Roman tax collector demands a tribute from Christ and his apostles, and Christ instructs Peter on how to get the stater. On the left, the crouching figure of Peter by the Lake Gennesaret is removing the coin from the mouth of the first fish he caught as per Christ’s injunction. On the right, Peter is paying the tribute money to the tax collector. The fresco reflects the political background of the time, serving as an allusion to the importance of maritime trade for Florence’s wealth. It also reinforces the status of the Church in Rome by commemorating the life of Saint Peter, the First Pope, as Florence, being at war with Milan, heavily relied on the Pope’s support.
The single-point perspective along the horizontal lines around the figures in the central scene converges on the head of Christ. This linear perspective was a characteristic of Classical antiquity before its reemergence in the architectural designs of Brunelleschi during the Early Renaissance. The characters’ drapery and posture are consistently Classical, with the figures wearing tunics in the Greek fashion, who instead of “the elaborate brocades habitually used in International Gothic,” wore “simple, heavy cloaks” (Auffenberg 4). Inspired by the solid naturalism of Donatello’s sculptures, Masaccio’s figures of Peter and the tax collector on the right resemble the freestanding Greek statues of Donatello (Auffenberg 4).
Masaccio’s signature use of atmospheric perspective brings volume through the contrast between paler and brighter colors and the contrast between light and shadow. The mountains, the figure of Peter by the lake, and his figure paying the tax collector are painted in darker paler colors, while the figures in the central foreground are contrasted with lighter, brighter colors, creating an illusion of depth. Instead of neutral shadowless light characteristic of Gothic style and present in Giotto’s works, Masaccio illuminates his figures with a strong source outside the scene, creating a chiaroscuro effect that contrasts light and shadow to bring three-dimensionality to the composition. Being inspired by Giotto’s works from a century earlier and later inspiring masters like Michelangelo, Masaccio is a pivotal figure in the Early Renaissance, standing between the Proto-Renaissance and the High Renaissance.
Masaccio imbued his characters with classical antiquity-style gestures and stance, resembling freestanding statues “in the new tradition of Donatello” (Auffenberg 4). The red drapery and the sword in the hands of the angel symbolize God’s anger with Adam and Eve after they succumbed to temptation and were therefore forever banished from Paradise. The effective use of atmospheric perspective seen in the contrast between the calm blue sky and the angry red-wearing angel accentuates the thematic tension between God and humanity. The minimalistic portrayal of Adam and Eve’s facial features and focusing on their facial expressions and gestures prompts the audience to identify with their pain and “infuse the scene with drama” (Auffenberg 4). Adam’s covering his face and Eve’s covering her body conveys feelings of shame and guilt. Additionally, the audacity to depict nudity inspired later masters to emphasize the humanistic values and aesthetics during the High Renaissance.
Inspired by Giotto’s Gothic-style neutral light and perspective foreshortening, Masaccio still brings inventiveness to his work, “showing signs of a new naturalism…in his work” (Auffenberg 2). This sense of naturalism is depicted in the tender vulnerability of Madonna, the greater realism of faces, and an early attempt at using a single-point linear perspective, placing the vanishing point at the child’s foot. Masaccio’s use of the grapes to symbolize the wine of the Last Supper depicts a narrative tension between the innocence of the Christ child and his awareness of his eventual sacrifice, being an “iconographical innovation referring to the Eucharist” (Auffenberg 2).
Works cited
Auffenberg, Tom L. “Masaccio.” Salem Press Biographical Encyclopedia, 2020.
Masaccio. Madonna and Child with Angels. 1426, National Gallery, London.
Masaccio. The Expulsion from the Garden of Eden. 1425, Brancacci Chapel, Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence.
Masaccio. The Holy Trinity. 1427, Santa Maria Novella, Florence.
Masaccio. The Tribute Money. 1425, Brancacci Chapel, Florence.