Masaccio, Holy Trinity, c.1424-1427
With the help of his friend Filippo Brunelleschi, Masaccio is often identified as the first artist to apply theories of linear perspective to painting. His perspectival masterpiece is the Holy Trinity in the church of Santa Maria Novella in Florence. Watch the following podcasts produced by the National Gallery of Art on the use of perspective systems in the Renaissance and Masaccio’s Holy Trinity fresco. Describe what effect you think Masaccio’s painting would have on a Renaissance viewer.
Introductory video on Renaissance perspective
Video on Masaccio’s Holy Trinity
(you can also download these podcasts from the NGA server in iTunes)
Groups 1, 2, and 3: Please submit a post by Saturday, 4/14
Groups 4, 5, and 6: Please comment on a classmate’s post by Saturday, 4/14
Why the long due date for these posts? Spring Break is 4/6-14, so if you want to catch up on some posts, you can over the break. I will post another topic next week too!
I remember in high school my art teacher made us make pieces based on linear perspective and it was a difficult method to apply because everything had to be at an angle that connected to the center of the page. Had me frustrated for a bit. And its amazing how the artist was only 20 years old, that’s only 2 years older than me and I can’t even paint a face right. The Renaissance viewers would be beyond amazing at this new technique of painting because of its illusion because that is the first thing you see. You capture the depth on the room and the life it gives Jesus and God who is behind him.
the linear perspective is not that hard what so ever if you have a ruler. when i was in art class my teacher made me do the same thing, as first she wanted me to draw circles and squares that are three dimensional as a person and as we got further into the class she made us do linear although it may seem tricky it is not that hard with a few little guide steps from an art teacher and a ruler by your side.As for massccio’s age I’m not surprised because i believe artist like him are born i had a friend that was a natural artist that knew how to draw a person without actually knowing how to show someone else.
I agree because my art teacher in high school made us do a drawing based on it. It was a very difficult task and even though it might look easy, its really not. To know that he was 20 when he did this is just speechless. It just has so much detail and depth.
I agree with you on that perspective drawing is difficult and could be very frustrating if done wrong. I remember taking foundation of architect a few yrs back and i had to learn this technique. I’m a person that knows how to draw (I’m not that good) but still know what I’m doing, but when it came to the perspective drawings oh man what a head ache they were. You do need time and be very careful with the lining and measuring but after all the effort and drawing is done its amazing at drawing you see. It is amazing though how Masaccio’s did his drawing. Unlike architect u need a floor plan to make your perspective drawing in order to give you a visual image on how the inside of a building is going to look like or how the building itself going to look. It is very impressive how a guy who is two years younger than both of us can do this.
i think the Renaissance viewers would be amazed at the illusion Masaccio’s Holy Trinity fresco shows. i mean he used strings that are still ingraved in the painting to get the lines right and used nails to carve. its more then just a simple painting. its a master piece. you almost feel like you can walk into the painting which for its time is amazing.
Renaissance viewers would definately be astonished by Masaccio’s Trinity fresco. He was an unbelievely talented artist to portray Jesus in this way. He was only one year older than me when he did this painting; i cant barely draw stick figures straight. On another note, this painting also reminds me that Easter just passed. It captures the true meaning of Easter. When i first looked at this painting in class, the first thing that stood out to me was the depth and archetechture. He captures everything he wanted to say about the about the Holy Trinity. This fresco speaks for itself.
The linear method is a very complicated way of drawing
Back in High school my art teacher during senior year use to make us
Plot out these drawings before we can draw it out on the real
Paper after we got some practice . This method makes it
Better because you can’t plan out the art before you draw it out and
Comes out with a better structure of drawing
i believe the Renaissance viewer would critizise the painting because it is different from what they were used to at that time, i believe some would be astonished as others have posted in previous comments, but i believe the people from those times weren’t as opened mined as they are in todays society
i do agree that people back then had very different views as oppose to the people of our times now , at that time a painting like this wouldnt be agreed with because of the way jesus is portrayed people back then took religion alot more serious than people nowadays
I think a renaissance viewer would have been awed by the artwork. In medieval times they would have been rather scared of it. But since the period of the renaissance there were various types of artists who emerged who created new pieces of art. But depicting Jesus in any artwork will always cause a controversy, whether it was back then to now.
He is one of the first artists to use a vanishing point in his work employing the use of dimensional perspective in his paintings. The most likely interpretation of the Trinity is that the painting alludes to the traditional medieval double chapel. At the same time he created a diverse character within a group and emphasized the range of emotional expression in individuals especially when portraying Jesus, it does stir up controversy.
A renaissance viewer would be in awe looking at this painting. The viewers perspective of Jesus is fitting due in part to the linear perspective. i think it served a great purpose in creating this painting and the painting wouldn’t have that same “awe” effect on a renaissance viewer.