Masaccio Biography

Italian painter Tommaso di Giovanni di Simone Guidi, who came to be nicknamed Masaccio, was one of the most significant painter of the early 15th century and the most important painter in the Quattocentro era of the Renaissance. Masaccio’s family wasn’t even remotely interested in the arts and that is quite staggering considering the fact those most great painters who emerged during the Italian Renaissance had some sort of connection with the world of arts. There is no record of Masaccio’s early life and hence it cannot be ascertained for sure whether he got formal training in the arts; however it must be said that he started off as an artist of note at the age of 21 and continued to produce excellent work for the rest of his career. Masaccio was the first painter to have used such path breaking painting technique like the ‘vanishing point’ and ‘linear perspective’, in addition to the fact that he was also adept at bringing about a three dimensional effect in some of his paintings. Masaccio’s most famous works include ‘Holy Trinity’, ‘San Giovenale Triptych’ and ‘The Expulsion from the Garden of Eden’ among others. Generations of painters including such stalwarts like Michelangelo were inspired by his work.