Masaccio-trinity at santa maria novella

Despite his short span of activity, from 1423 to 1428, Masaccio can be posited as the signifier of a radical break with the period of Italian painting known as the Trecento, and, alone among his contemporaries, in his use of dramatic realism points the way to the spectacular creations of the High Renaissance, in which artists such as Michelangelo, Raphael and Palladio, achieved a fusion of classic and humanist ideals in painting, sculpture and architecture. As narrative murals began to proliferate within the city, painters were engaged to create frescoes on the interiors and exteriors of public buildings and churches, designed according to the explicit instructions of their patrons. The immediacy of fresco painting, a direct application of egg tempera colour onto a wet surface of lime and plaster, required the collaboration of two or more artists in a highly skilled and integrated team, working at speed on sections of a design. Masaccio therefore cooperated closely with Masolino (Tomas da Cristofano, born circa 1383 - died circa 1440), to produce a cycle of frescoes at the Brancacci Chapel, Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence, from 1424-25. They also produced altarpieces and frescoes in Padua, Pisa and possibly in Rome. The aspect of collaboration does not confuse recognition of Masaccio's highly original achievement. If anything it helps to bring it into sharper focus.