Masaccio
Tommaso di Giovanni di Simone Guidi, called Masaccio (Slovenly Tom), became skilled in the use of perspective and influenced the work of many artists, including Fra. Angelico, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci. Born in 1401, Masaccio was the son of a notary in Ser Giovanni (Valdarno). At 16, Masaccio moved to Florence, and the first public record of him indicates he was enrolled in the Arte dei Medici e Speziali. His work shows the influence of Giotto, but no one knows exactly with whom Masaccio studied. He admired the work of Donatello and of Bruneschelli, and the study of their sculpture helped him to create in painting the mathematical proportions found in classical statuary. Masaccio's work is also characterized by effective use of light to create perspective and naturalistic representation of the human form. His most famous works are the frescos in the Brancacci Chapel of Sta. Maria del Carmine in Florence, which Fra. Lippo Lippi finished. The circumstances of Masaccio's death in 1428 are mysterious; he is sometimes thought to have been poisoned.
Karen Rae Keck
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