The Holy Trinity by Masaccio

The Holy Trinity, Masaccio, 1425, Santa  Maria Novella

The Holy Trinity was created by Tommaso Masaccio in the year 1425. It is a fresco and remains in the Santa Maria Novella Basilican Church  in Florence. This painting shows Christ hanging on the cross that is being supported by God. The cross is also being flanked  by Mary and John. The kneeling figures on the step below show their devotional praise to Christ and God, many say they are members from either the Berti Family or the Lenzi Family, who might have commissioned this painting. Although we do not much about who commissioned this fresco, we do know that this was one of Masaccio's major commissions and one of his greatest works of art. Architecturally speaking, Masaccio showed his great admiration for linear perspective  and his appreciation for roman antiquity by accurately painting the Roman barrel vault along with the Ionic and Corinthian capitals on the columns that create the boundary for this scene. He also brilliantly creates the vanishing point  at the viewer's eye level which contributes to his genius perspective of the receding barrel vaults that tower over God and create depth. This visual effect is know as Tromp l'oiel, which means "Deceiving to the eyes." One can really understand the brilliance Masaccio showed artistically and architecturally while in its presence.