The Tribute Money (Masaccio)

Masaccio, The Tribute Money, Brancacci Chapel, Santa Maria Del Carmine, 1424-27, Fresco

Masaccio, in my opinion was among the greatest Renaissance artist, he has really helped me to see how the use of perspective and light has helped the Renaissance. He experimented with perspective and the illusion of light as it hits different objects and figures. In this particular fresco, which is located in the Brancacci Chapel, (which I can't believe I saw) in the Santa Maria Del Carmine in Florence, Masaccio depicts the episode from the the Gospel of Matthew. He shows this fresco as a three part story. Starting from left to right, we have Saint Peter by the shore side retrieving the money from the fish, the middle depicts the tax collector, who confront Jesus as they try to enter the Roman town of Capernaum. Jesus asks St. Peter  to go get the money he will need to pay the tax form the belly of the fish. Peter, after finding the money returns and pays the tax collector ( far right). Masaccio shows the bulk of his characters by allowing us to see the traces of light as it hits the figures. It hits objects at an angle developing dark shadows the light does not touch, which adds to the dimensionality. He also created perspective by using a vanishing point, just above Jesus's head, which he uses for his buildings. We can also see his unprecedented technique of showing blurred objects as they are more distant and more detailed objects as they are closer. It must have been truly amazing to witness Masaccio create this ingenious three part story in one piece of artwork.