As one of the most innovative painters of the Early Renaissance, Masaccio captured an illusion of three-dimensional reality more convincing than that of any other artist. Through a formal analysis of his masterwork The Tribute Money, you can learn the basic principles of Renaissance perspective.
The Tribute Money is considered one of the first paintings in the history
of the Italian Renaissance to comfortably integrate figures, architecture and
landscape into a consistent whole. Masaccio depicts the rarely painted
biblical story of Peter's confrontation with Roman tax collectors. Peter, who
sought instruction from Christ (the central grouping in the painting)
was told that he would find the tax money in the mouth of a fish near the
shore of Lake Galilee. One the left side of the painting, Peter is seen extracting
the money from the mouth of the fish, and on the right, Peter pays the Roman
tax collector. By using a method known as continuous/simultaneous narrative, Masaccio represents
the entire story in one painting.
To learn more about Masaccio's life, check out this cool site from the
Uffizi Museum in Florence,
or go to the Florence
Art Guide to get more Masaccio tidbits and a really awesome cyber-guide to the city.
However, don't get lost cruisin' the streets of Florence--be sure to get to the index
and check out Masaccio's page.
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