Rona Goffen(Editor) / Hardcover / Published 1998
Masaccio's "Trinity" examines one
of the most influential paintings of the Italian Renaissance.
Renowned for the grandeur of its characterizations and for the perspectival
illusion of its architectural setting, the fresco was famous from the time
it was painted in the 1420s, and remembered despite its having been hidden
from view for nearly two centuries. This volume considers the Trinity in its
historical and spiritual contexts, and describes the significance of
Massacio's innovative depictions of time and space.
Masaccio's "Trinity" examines one of
the defining paintings of the Italian Renaissance. Renowned for
the grandeur of its characterizations, both sacred and mortal, for
the perspectival illusion of its monumental architectural setting,
and for its compelling depictions of a human skeleton, the fresco
was famous from the time it was painted in the 1420s, and
remembered despite its having been hidden from view for nearly two
centuries. This volume considers the Trinity in its historical and
spiritual contexts, its relation to the symbolism of the Trinity,
and its liturgical function in the great Dominican church of Santa
Maria Novella. Also emphasized are the extraordinary features of
the painting, especially its system of spatial illusionism, its
problematic state of conservation, and the conception of time and
space that the artist masterfully visualized.
