Masaccio: The new and the traditional elements in his work
The works of Masaccio played a fundamental role in changing the course of Renaissance painting. Masaccio was a highly innovative artist who introduced the use of spatial perspective, and a new use of chiaroscuro and colour which helped him to reflect an intense passion in his paintings that had not been experimented with before. However, in his works we can see the traditional elements to his paintings. For example, the San Giovenale Triptych. Here, although spatially avant-garde we can still feel the gothic influence just by looking at the piece, showing a traditional element to Masaccio’s work. The sturdy figures that look stiff and rigid are a typically Gothic element. This influence would probably have spanned from artists such as Giotto.
The San Giovanele Triptych shows the Madonna and Child enthroned in the central panel and four saints, two on each side panel. We can see a new treatment of perspective here, independent to previous Gothic works which were flat and without dimension, Masaccio has arranged the painting in such a way that you feel almost drawn into it. The space is defined due to the use of three separate panels. This way of arranging space is recurrent in Masaccio’s s
“Expulsion from the Garden of Eden”
tyle and one which is prevalent in the paintings of the Brancacci chapel.
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