Masaccio, "Trinity" - a reform of perspective

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

"Trinity" - fresco by Masaccio. Epoch - early Renaissance. The time of creation is approximately 1425 - 1428. Dimensions: 667x317 cm. Located in the Church of Santa Maria Novella, Florence.

History of the work

Fresco Masaccio "Trinity" was made on the third span of the nave under the control of the Dominicans. Her client is unknown. Giorgio Vasari described it in full in 1568, and two years later it disappeared. On the new stone altar, a large painting "Madonna of the Rosary" or "Madonna of the Rosary", made by Vasari himself, is installed. Masaccio's work was rediscovered in 1861 when the sixteenth-century altarpieces were removed. The fresco was transferred to canvas and attached to the inner wall of the façade. In 1952, the Trinity is moved to a new location above the sarcophagus of Adam, which is located in the wall in the neo-Gothic altar of the nineteenth century.

The theme that the master reveals

God the Father supports the cross of his son. The Holy Spirit hovers between them in the form of a dove. Thus, the Christian "Trinity" is filled with grace emanating from it. Under the crucifix is a sarcophagus with the skeleton of Adam, which should remind the parishioner of the inevitable death and the need for repentance. This is how Masaccio saw the Trinity.

Descriptionmurals

Like his contemporary Donatello, Masaccio in "Trinity" made most of his discoveries when writing perspectives and architectural frames, which was completely new for his time. The artist loved the architecture of Filippo Brunelleschi and carefully wrote out the graceful columns and capitals of the Ionic order, powerful Doric, as well as arches. The ceiling has no mystical significance, but it is written with all the smallest details and cells. Masaccio placed the Trinity in the very center, and the Virgin Mary in a blue cloak to her left. On the right is St. John in red. Below there are two more characters: on the left, in a red cloak, the donor (presumably Lorenzo Lenzi), and on the right, in blue, his wife. These colors are not random. They are the intersecting symmetry of the two previous figures. In size, spouses are similar to saints, which was not accepted at that time. This is also the innovation of the painter. Here is, in fact, a brief description of the Trinity by Masaccio.

Painting analysis

Let's consider how the artist placed all the figures on his work. The Father, extending his arms wide and filling all the space, supports the cross on which the Son was crucified. His head is the highest point of the composition, a little lower is the martyred Jesus. Between them, connecting them, is a white dove - the Holy Spirit. The third level is the Virgin Mary, whose body, face and hand are turned towards the viewer and point to the suffering of Christ.

Oddly enough, she is depicted as an elderly woman. In reverent prayerful silence, St. John is on the same level. On thethe diagram below clearly shows their placement, as well as the donor and his wife, who stand even lower than this sacred space. They are at the eye level of the audience. The vanishing point of the entire composition is located at floor level and is reduced to a line that probably symbolizes the earth level. But paradoxically, his tiles are not depicted in the picture, they can only be speculated. We continue the analysis and description of Masaccio's painting "Trinity".

It is uncomfortable for a person of average height to stand close to the image. Therefore, a sarcophagus appears to move the parishioner to its proper place. Some researchers believe that when writing perspective, Masaccio used the astrolabe to map a two-dimensional sphere onto a plane. Others say that the artist simply hammered a nail into the center of the floor of the composition, pulled the ropes and drew the necessary lines along them with a slate pencil. His traces are still visible today.

Masaccio was so carried away by the image of perspective that he forgot about the shadow that every figure should have. Only John the Evangelist has it.

The skeleton of Adam is no less interesting. This is the first accurate and real anatomical depiction of the Renaissance, so naturalistic that anyone can count his ribs.

The inscription above it, translated from Latin, reads: "I was the same as you, but you will become the same as I became." Ordinary parishioners did not speak Latin, so only educated people could read and understand it.

The drama that takes place on the canvas, Masaccio conveys with gestures and facial expressions of his models. Their silhouettes are formed in relief. The artist wants to create the feeling that everything is happening “here and now”, so that everyone who looks at this work is completely imbued with the sharpness and tension of the moment. This is also the innovation of the work.

Tomaso Masaccio lived a short (only 27 years) life, but became a reformer of early Renaissance painting, having a great influence on subsequent painters.