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How did Donatello’s sculptures influence Masaccio’s depiction of the human body?
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Masaccio
Holy Trinity, fresco by Masaccio, 1425–26, in the Church of Santa Maria Novella, Florence.
Masaccio’s depiction of the human body was profoundly shaped by his careful study of the early works of Donatello, the founder of the Florentine Renaissance sculptural style.1
Donatello’s realistic sculptures provided Masaccio with a vital framework for artistic development. Specifically, these sculptures taught Masaccio how to:
- Render and articulate the human body: By observing Donatello’s mastery of form, Masaccio moved away from the elegant, decorative styles of his contemporaries toward a more massive, direct, and solid representation of figures.1
- Convey expression: Donatello’s work demonstrated how to imbue figures with emotional and gestural depth, which Masaccio integrated into his own paintings to enhance the humanity and psychological presence of his subjects.1
This influence is evident in Masaccio's early works, such as the 1422 triptych, where his figures display a newfound sense of volume and vigor that departed from traditional Florentine painting and aligned with the revolutionary naturalism found in Donatello’s sculpture.1