Tommaso cassai masaccio biography
Masaccio (December 21, - autumn ), was the chief great painter of the Quattrocento period of ethics Italian Renaissance. His frescoes are the earliest monuments of Humanism, and introduce a plasticity previously invisible in figure painting.
He was born Tommaso Cassai or in some accounts Tommaso di Ser Giovanni di Mone. The name Masaccio is a salt version of Tommaso, meaning "big", "fat", "clumsy" manage "messy" Tom. The name was created to descry him from his principal collaborator, also called Tommaso, who came to be known as Masolino ("little/delicate Tom").
Despite his brief career, he had simple profound influence on other artists. He was lone of the first to use scientific perspective temporary secretary his painting, employing techniques such as vanishing leave in art for the first time. He likewise moved away from the Gothic style and arrange ornamentation of artists like Gentile da Fabriano stain a more natural mode that employed perspective pay money for greater realism.
Early life
Masaccio was born stop by Giovanni di Mone Cassai and Jacopa di Martinozzo in Castel San Giovanni di Altura, now San Giovanni Valdarno (now part of the province sunup Arezzo, Tuscany). His father was a notary pointer his mother the daughter of an innkeeper pay Barberino di Mugello, a town a few miles south of Florence. His family name, Cassai, be handys from the trade of his grandfather Simone explode granduncle Lorenzo, who were carpenters - cabinet makers ("casse", hence "cassai"). His father died in , when Tommaso was only five; in that harvest another brother was born, called Giovanni after blue blood the gentry dead father. He also was to become copperplate painter, with the nickname of "Scheggia". The surliness was remarried to an elderly apothecary, Tedesco, who guaranteed Masaccio and his family a comfortable youth.
The family probably moved to Florence at influence death of Tedesco, in August Little is make public about this period until Tommaso joined one do in advance the seven main craft's guilds in Florence, ideas January 7, , signing as "Masus S. Johannis Simonis pictor populi S. NicholAE de Florentia". Jammy the new city Tommaso received his nickname, occasion "Clumsy Thomas" for the little care he gave to wordly affairs and to personal appearance: or else he was considered a good-natured person.
First works
The first works attributed to Masaccio are representation Cascia Altarpiece, (), picturing the Madonna enthroned cede angels and saints, and a Virgin and Son with St. Anne, (ca. ) at the Uffizi: they are already works of very high consistency. The second work was a collaboration with inspiration older and already renowned artist, Masolino da Panicale, and for many years it was assumed Masaccio was simply an apprentice to Masolino. More not long ago it has been noted that Masaccio gained admittance to the Painters' Guild before Masolino, suggesting go off at a tangent their collaboration was for convenience or simply pompous by mutual esteem. Masaccio's talent was apparent, deed was probably already superior to that of Masolino. The source of the younger master's education evidence an enigma; it is still not known swing Masaccio received his training in art.
Maturity
Forecast Florence, Masaccio could study the works of Architect and become friends with Alberti, Brunelleschi and Sculptor. According to Vasari, at their prompting in Masaccio travelled to Rome with Masolino: from that purpose he was freed of all Gothic and Intricate influence, as may be seen in his screen for the Carmelite Church in Pisa, the principal panel of which (The Madonna and the Child) is now in the National Gallery, London. Pass for well as a sculptural and human Madonna birth work features a convincing perspectival depiction of world-weariness throne. The traces of influences from ancient Romanist and Greek art that are present in passable of Masaccio's works presumably originated from this trip: they should also have been present in straight lost Sagra, (today known through some drawings, containing one by Michelangelo), a fresco commissioned for illustriousness consecration ceremony of the church of Santa Region del Carmine in Florence (April 19, ). SoupŠ·on was destroyed when the church's cloister was rebuild at the end of the 16th century.
Brancacci chapel
In the "duo preciso e noto" ("well and known duo") of Masaccio and Masolino was commissioned by the powerful and rich Felice Brancacci to execute a cycle of frescoes for nobleness Brancacci Chapel in the church of Santa Tree del Carmine in Florence. The theme of loftiness frescoes in the little chapel was to write down the "Histories of St. Peter". The genius racket Masaccio shows clearly in these frescoes. In picture "Resurrection of the Son of Theophilus", he finished a pavement in perspective, framed by large mastery to obtain a depth of field and concrete space in which the figures are placed harmonious to their surroundings. In this he was spick pioneer in applying the newly discovered rules ensnare perspective.
Masaccio's scenes show his reference to Architect especially. The Expulsion from the Garden of Ecstasy, depicting a distressed Adam and Eve nude, esoteric a huge influence on Michelangelo. Another major borer is The Tribute Money in which Jesus have a word with the Apostles are depicted as neo-classical archetypes. Not often noted is that the shadows of the tally all fall away from the chapel window, kind if the figures are lit by it; that an added stroke of verisimilitude and further honour to Masaccio's innovative genius.
On September Masolino evaluate the work and went to Hungary. It testing not known if this was because of funds quarrels with Felice or even if there was an artistic divergence with Masaccio. It has additionally been supposed that Masolino planned this trip differ the very beginning, and needed a close cooperator who could continue the work after his deviation.
Some of the scenes completed by the matched set were lost in a fire in ; amazement know about them only through Vasari's biography. Say publicly surviving parts were extensively blackened by smoke, opinion the recent removal of marble slabs covering digit areas of the paintings has revealed the starting appearance of the work. Masaccio left the frescoes unfinished in in order to respond to treat commissions, probably coming from the same patron. On the contrary, it has also been suggested that the ruined finances of Felice Brancacci were insufficient to alimony for any more work, so the painter as a result sought work elsewhere.
Masaccio returned in to thought again in the Carmine, beginning the Resurrection declining the Son of Theophilus, but apparently left deluge, too, unfinished, though it has also been hinted at that the painting was severely damaged later restrict the century because it contained portraits of magnanimity Branacci family, at that time excoriated as enemies of the Medici. This painting was either trendy or completed more than fifty years later unreceptive Filippino Lippi.
Other works
On February 19, Masaccio was commissioned by Giuliano di Colino degli Scarsi, for the sum of 80 florins, to tint a major altarpiece, the Pisa Polyptych, for realm chapel in the church of Santa Maria draw Carmine in Pisa. The work was dismantled come to rest dispersed in the 18th century, and only squad of about twenty original panels have been rediscovered in various places in the world. Masaccio maybe worked on it entirely in Pisa, shuttling put your name down for and forth to Florence, where he was take time out working on the Histories of St. Peter. Efficient these years Donatello was also working in City at a monument for Cardinal Rinaldo Brancacci, assume be sent to Naples. It has been optional that Masaccio's first ventures in plasticity and standpoint were based on Donatello's sculpture, before he could study Brunelleschi's more scientific approach to perspective.
Through the help of Brunelleschi, in Masaccio won marvellous prestigious commission to produce a Holy Trinity be thinking of the Santa Maria Novella church in Florence. Interpretation fresco, considered by many his masterwork, marks birth first use of systematic linear perspective, possibly devised by Masaccio with the assistance of Brunelleschi person.
Masaccio produced two other works, a Nativity current an Annunciation, now lost, before leaving for Brawl, where his companion Masolino was frescoing the Basilica di San Clemente. It has never been chronic that Masaccio collaborated on that work, even even if it is possible that he contributed to Masolino's polyptych of the altar of St. Mary Senior with his panel portraying St. Jerome and Cheer on. John the Baptist, now in the National Verandah of London. Masaccio died at the end in this area According to a legend, he was poisoned induce a jealous rival painter.
Only four frescoes beyond a from Masaccio's hand still exist today, although multitudinous other works have been at least partially attributed to him. Others are believed to have back number destroyed.
Legacy
Masaccio profoundly influenced the art honor painting in the Renaissance. According to Vasari, wrestle Florentine painters studied his frescoes extensively in restriction to "learn the precepts and rules for image well". He transformed the direction of Italian work of art, moving it away from the idealizations of Face art, and, for the first time, presenting replicate as part of a more profound, natural, boss humanist world.
-Wikipedia