Book Description

The result of a pioneering technical examination, this fresh look at the painting techniques of Masolino and Massaccio sheds new light on the life, oeuvre, and working methods of two great masters of early Renaissance Italy. In addition to technical revelations, including examples of Masaccio's underdrawing and Masolino's innovative use of oil mediums, the study reveals a greater understanding of the nature of the collaboration of the two artists and the chronology of their works. All technical information has been correlated to art-historical concerns regarding early Renaissance art such as the role of the guilds; the nature of collaboration between artists and craftsmen such as carpenters and guilders; and the relationship between patron and artist, showing how a detailed technical study can answer questions that have previously been the purview of art historians alone. Also discussed are the vicissitudes and reconstruction of the Pisa altarpiece, and the artists' final collaboration on the Santa Maria Maggiore altarpiece. A glossary defining the many technical terms is also included. ... Read more

Book Description

This Companion explores the visual, intellectual, and religious culture of Renaissance Florence in the age of Masaccio, 1401-1428.Written by a team of internationally renowned scholars and conservators, the essays in this volume investigate the artistic, civic, and sacred contexts of Masaccio's works and the sites in which they were seen. Inspired by the 600th anniversary of Masaccio's birth, The Cambridge Companion to Masaccio celebrates the achievements, influence and legacy of early Renaissance art and one of its greatest masters. ... Read more

Book Description

Masaccio's "Trinity"examines one of the most influential paintings of the Italian Renaissance. Renowned for the grandeur of its characterizations and for the perspectival illusion of its architectural setting, the fresco was famous from the time it was painted in the 1420s, and remembered despite its having been hidden from view for nearly two centuries.This volume considers the "Trinity" in its historical and spiritual contexts, and describes the significance of Masaccio's innovative depictions of time and space. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

beautiful, expressive figuratives.
Born in 1401 at San Giovanni Valdarno, Masaccio moved to Florence when he was 16, and by 19 was already becoming known for his painting.
His first surviving known painting, from 1422, the San Giovenale Triptych, is shown as a whole, and in detail. The harmony between the figures, and the glorious colors, make this a spectacular Madonna and Child, flanked on each side by two saints and an angel.

Masaccio worked with Masolino and Filippino Lippi on the frescoes from the Brancacci Chapel, and the work of all three artists is shown in this book.
My favorite piece is part of the Pisa Polyptych, the "Adoration of the Magi". The delicacy and loveliness of the composition, especially the expressive beauty of the four horses, make this a piece for all to admire and for art students to study.

There is an emotional intensity in his figuratives; in the "Expulsion from the Garden of Eden" one can see Adam and Eve's agony and shame on their faces, and his Jesus in "Tribute Money" is strong and manly.
Masaccio died at the young age of 27, in Rome, as he had just started the Santa Maria Magiore Polyptych; the fresco was finished by his former collaborator, Masolino, and is the final full sized plate in the book.

Well written and researched (with many quotes from Vasari) by Ornella Casazza, this 1997 edition, printed in Italy on thick, glossy paper, has 35 full sized richly colored plates, and many more smaller ones. Great for Masaccio fans, and lovers of this magnificent era of Italian art. ... Read more

Book Description

A new English version of the third edition (1963) of Longhi's seminal work on the Renaissance painter Piero della Francesca. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

His lasting contribution to art history is documented
Masaccio: Saint Andrew And The Pisa Altarpiece by Eliot W. Rowlands (Senior Researcher, Wildenstein and Company, New York) reflects on the workings of Italian Renaissance artist Masaccio (1401-1428), who was the first artist to use light effects to create three-dimensional images on a two-dimensional plane. His lasting contribution to art history is documented and embraced with representations of Masaccio's classic works in black-and-white as well as in color. The paintings' religious themes, their histories, commissions, and locations today, as well as Masaccio's unfortunately brief life are all informatively discussed in this welcome contribution to Art History Studies reference and reading collections. Also very highly recommended is Eliot W. Rowlands earlier contribution to Art History Studies: The Collections Of The Nelson-atkins Museum Of Art I: Italian Painting, 1300-1800 (Nelson-Atkins Museum Bookstore; ASIN: 0942614259; $29.99). ... Read more

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Renaissance Quarterly, published by Renaissance Society of America on December 22, 2000. The length of the article is 1991 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Masaccio's "Trinity".(Review)
Author: Patricia Meilman
Publication: Renaissance Quarterly (Refereed)
Date: December 22, 2000
Publisher: Renaissance Society of America
Volume: 53Issue: 4Page: 1215

Article Type: Book Review

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from Church History, published by American Society of Church History on September 1, 1999. The length of the article is 1010 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Masaccio's "Trinity".
Author: Mary Weitzel Gibbons
Publication: Church History (Refereed)
Date: September 1, 1999
Publisher: American Society of Church History
Volume: 68Issue: 3Page: 691

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Book Description

Book Description

This digital document is an article from New Statesman (1996), published by New Statesman, Ltd. on October 1, 2001. The length of the article is 895 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Hulking Tom.(art of Renaissance painter Masaccio)(Brief Article)
Author: Ned Denny
Publication: New Statesman (1996) (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 1, 2001
Publisher: New Statesman, Ltd.
Volume: 130Issue: 4557Page: 63

Article Type: Brief Article

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Reviews (1)

A Real Bargain
This is still available new at a bargain price. The reproductions are beautifully done and the enlargements make his work even more enjoyable. The text is short, but gives a good overall understanding of the true uniqueness of Masaccio and the descriptions of each work found at the back give specific information. Grab a copy while you can! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Searching for the new Masaccio
The more spectacular creative adventurers among the vast throngs of human history are recognised with a single name. Masaccio by Spike is a sumptious presentation of the work of two such explorers. Masaccio was a fresco painter in 15th century Florence whose Bible illustrations have been cherished and protected to this day. Spike is an art historian whose erudition is made readable by his genuine admiration of and empathy for the artist Masaccio.

For example, the scholar wading through Spike's preface is rewarded by archipelagos like the following heartwarming conclusion: "Investigations into subject matter can only proceed deeper and deeper into the hidden recesses of the human heart and mind. For this reason, we prefer to study the works of geniuses." (italics added) If Masaccio were alive and working today, certainly he would derive quite a bit of enjoyment from oblique compliments like that! And even Leonardo would have to laugh when he encountered the following notion from the preface: "The stylistic development between the earliest and the latest works (a span of only seven and a half years) is unprecedented and astonishing. Compared to Masaccio, Leonardo da Vinci was a stick-in-the-mud." (italics added)

The beauty of this literary paen to an artist centuries in his grave reflects the incredible power of Masaccio's few paintings to distinguish themselves above excellence. Luxurious color photographs allow lavish attention to details of the frescoes, most notably at the Brancacci Chapel. Black and white photographs in the catalog of Masaccio' known works accompany the provenances and physical details. A section of Comparative Illustrations adds bonus value to this outstanding reference. Page after page of wonderfully intriguing paintings and fragments by contemporaries of Masaccio give the reader a deeper understanding. Then, surprisingly, the book ends with a bibliography and index, etc.

Dr John T Spike is author of numerous volumes like this one, and was Director of the 1999 Biennale Internazionale dell'Arte Contemporanea in Florence, Italy. His activities also include contemporary art criticism. ... Read more