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Masaccios The Tribute Money

Decent Essays

Professor Debbie Graham
HU-2301-391 Interdisciplinary Arts
17 January 2014
Masaccio 's The Tribute Money
" The artist who epitomizes the innovative spirit of early-15th-century Florentine painting was Tommaso di ser Giovanni di Mone Cassai, known as Masaccio" (Kleiner 241). The name meant clumsy Tom or hulking Tom. Masaccio 's mother Mona Jacopa di Martinozzo gave birth to him at the Castel San Giovanni, the modern San Giovanni Valdarno on December 21, 1401. Which happens to be located in the upper Arno Vally about 30 miles from Florence. Masaccio 's father was a notary named Ser Giovanni Cassai, a surname which came from his grandfather 's job as a maker of wooden chests or "cassoni", and his mother was Mona Jacoba di Martinozzo, …show more content…

This painting is a picture of the story from the Bible, the gospel of Matthew. Masaccio made the followers circle around Jesus instead of following behind in a line which furthermore lead you to believe he was teaching something. "Ancient Roman painters used aerial perspective, medieval artists had abandoned it. Thus, it virtually disappeared from art until Masaccio and his contemporaries rediscovered it. They came to realize that the light and air interposed between viewers and what they see are two parts of the visual experience called "distance" "(Kleiner 242). Masaccio 's painting helps to remind people of the law that was set by the one we serve, which was to pay your taxes. Yes that did come from God for those who do not know history. The story of Matthew is a great example of why we pay taxes and Masaccio made a master piece by creating a visual of the story. "The Tribute Money itself alludes in some way to Man 's separate duties to the State and to the Church. In it St Peter is instructed by Christ to pay a tax to the civil authority. This must certainly be a reference to the obligations of the Roman Church towards secular authority; it probably also refers to each individual man 's obligation to render separately to God and to Caesar that which is due to them" (Visual Arts).
In conclusion, Masaccio was an outstanding artist. His piece that was inspired by other artist still inspires us today. We can only

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