biography
Who was Masaccio?
Tommaso Cassai (later “Masaccio”) was born on December 21, 1401, in a small town outside of Florence, Italy. His father died when he was 5. His mother Mona Jacopa remarried in 1412 to a wealthy apothecary. Masaccio moved to Florence around 1418 to train and become a professional painter. It was in Florence where he received his nickname “Masaccio,” which literally means 'untidy' or 'clumsy.' Masaccio died at the young age of 27. There is speculation that a jealous rival painter poisoned Masaccio.
Where did he live?
Masaccio was born in San Giovanni Valdarn, just outside of Florence. In the early 15th century, Florence was becoming an important city-state in Italy. The banking and merchant economy was creating great wealth in Florence, and young artists and writers like Masaccio moved there to seek patronage for their work. As a painter of frescoes in many churches, Florence became a perfect place for Masaccio’s works to be seen and studied by other important artists of the Renaissance.
What do we know about his training and skill?
Very little is actually known about the early training of this artistic genius. His younger brother also became an artist, but did not rise to anywhere near the importance of Masaccio. It is known that Masaccio joined the Florence painters’ guild in 1422. Under Florence law, a painter was required to have at least three years of apprenticeship to join the guild, so it is likely that Masaccio trained with an older artist.
Already an independent master in the guild at age 21, Masaccio was commissioned to paint church frescoes in the village of Regello by the powerful Castellani family. From his early works, he demonstrated a unique skill to paint realistic images and create three-dimensional space. These skills would allow him to become the first artist to incorporate linear perspective into painting and develop other innovations that would heavily influence the art of later Renaissance masters like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.
How was he supported in his work?
Masaccio’s stepfather, the wealthy apothecary Tedesco di Maestro Feo, died in 1417 and it is likely that his estate supported the artist’s early training in Florence. One of the distinguishing characteristics of Renaissance art was the patronage of artists by wealthy bankers, merchants and political rulers. We do know that Masaccio received commissions by the powerful Castellani and Brancacci families. Wealthy silk merchant Felice Brancacci commissioned Masaccio to paint the walls of the Brancacci Chapel in central Florence. Masaccio's works in the Brancacci Chapel titled The Tribute Money and Expulsion of Adam and Eve are considered some of his most important contributions to Renaissance art.
Tommaso Cassai (later “Masaccio”) was born on December 21, 1401, in a small town outside of Florence, Italy. His father died when he was 5. His mother Mona Jacopa remarried in 1412 to a wealthy apothecary. Masaccio moved to Florence around 1418 to train and become a professional painter. It was in Florence where he received his nickname “Masaccio,” which literally means 'untidy' or 'clumsy.' Masaccio died at the young age of 27. There is speculation that a jealous rival painter poisoned Masaccio.
Where did he live?
Masaccio was born in San Giovanni Valdarn, just outside of Florence. In the early 15th century, Florence was becoming an important city-state in Italy. The banking and merchant economy was creating great wealth in Florence, and young artists and writers like Masaccio moved there to seek patronage for their work. As a painter of frescoes in many churches, Florence became a perfect place for Masaccio’s works to be seen and studied by other important artists of the Renaissance.
What do we know about his training and skill?
Very little is actually known about the early training of this artistic genius. His younger brother also became an artist, but did not rise to anywhere near the importance of Masaccio. It is known that Masaccio joined the Florence painters’ guild in 1422. Under Florence law, a painter was required to have at least three years of apprenticeship to join the guild, so it is likely that Masaccio trained with an older artist.
Already an independent master in the guild at age 21, Masaccio was commissioned to paint church frescoes in the village of Regello by the powerful Castellani family. From his early works, he demonstrated a unique skill to paint realistic images and create three-dimensional space. These skills would allow him to become the first artist to incorporate linear perspective into painting and develop other innovations that would heavily influence the art of later Renaissance masters like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.
How was he supported in his work?
Masaccio’s stepfather, the wealthy apothecary Tedesco di Maestro Feo, died in 1417 and it is likely that his estate supported the artist’s early training in Florence. One of the distinguishing characteristics of Renaissance art was the patronage of artists by wealthy bankers, merchants and political rulers. We do know that Masaccio received commissions by the powerful Castellani and Brancacci families. Wealthy silk merchant Felice Brancacci commissioned Masaccio to paint the walls of the Brancacci Chapel in central Florence. Masaccio's works in the Brancacci Chapel titled The Tribute Money and Expulsion of Adam and Eve are considered some of his most important contributions to Renaissance art.