Examine Masaccio's Trinity with the Virgin, Saint John the Evangelist, and Donors and the Tribute Money (Figs. 14.10, 14.11 and 14.12) and describe the elements of perspective used in these frescos

Question

In your answer make reference to the material in the Closer Look section of MyArtsLab.
What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

In the Trinity with the Virgin, Saint John the Evangelist, and Donors (Figs. 14.10 and 14.11) the order of the figures represents triangular stability, and the architectural features show a receding horizon and natural space.

In the Tribute Money (Fig. 14.12) Masaccio depicts a subject which according to the commentary in MyArtsLab Closer Look is unusual in the history of Christian art, Jesus paying his taxes. Masaccio humanizes the figure of Jesus while employing several new devices to make the space of the painting more natural.

He depicts the figures in the painting from a number of viewpoints revealing his mastery of the three dimensionality of figures. In the center of the picture, Jesus directs Peter to retrieve the tax money from the mouth of a fish. Jesus' grave demeanor may be based on classical models. In the left of the painting, Masaccio portrays Peter retrieving the tax in a complicated pose. On the right Peter appears yet again, this time paying the tax to the tax collector. This technique of depicting a figure multiple times in the same work was well known in the middle ages and is known as sequential narrative. Masaccio connects the three separate occurrence of Peter in the composition by portraying them in the same yellow and blue attire.