Masaccio

Lore & Background

Masaccio was born to Giovanni di Simone Cassai and Jacopa di Martinozzo in Castel San Giovanni di Altura, now San Giovanni Valdarno. His father was a notary and his mother the daughter of an innkeeper. His family name, Cassai, comes from the trade of his grandfather and granduncle, who were carpenters. His father died in August 1406; his brother Giovanni was born earlier, in March 1406, and also became a painter. Masaccio joined the painters guild in Florence as an independent master on January 7, 1422.

His confirmed early works include the signed and dated San Giovenale Triptych (1422) and the Virgin and Child with Saint Anne (c. 1424), the latter a collaboration with the older artist Masolino. In 1424, Masaccio and Masolino were commissioned to paint the Brancacci Chapel frescoes in Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence. Masaccio's scenes show the influence of Giotto, with large, solid figures and naturalism, enhanced by linear and atmospheric perspective, directional light, and chiaroscuro. He died at age twenty-six; little is known about the circumstances.

Reader's Guide

Masaccio's significance lies in his role as a founder of the Early Italian Renaissance in painting. He moved away from the International Gothic style toward a more naturalistic mode, employing linear perspective, vanishing points, and chiaroscuro to create convincing three-dimensionality. His frescoes in the Brancacci Chapel, such as The Expulsion from the Garden of Eden and The Tribute Money, influenced later artists including Michelangelo. According to Vasari, Masaccio was the best painter of his generation due to his skill at imitating nature, recreating lifelike figures and movements. Despite a brief career, his innovations in perspective and naturalism set a new standard for Renaissance art. Upon hearing of his death, Filippo Brunelleschi said: 'We have suffered a great loss.'

Did You Know?

• The name Masaccio is a humorous version of Maso, meaning 'clumsy' or 'messy' Tom.
• He was one of the first to use linear perspective and vanishing points in painting.
• His brother Giovanni, also a painter, was nicknamed Lo Scheggia, meaning 'the splinter'.
• The San Giovenale Triptych was discovered in 1961 in the church of San Giovenale at Cascia di Reggello.