How does atmospheric perspective create depth in Masaccio’s Tribute Money?

In Masaccio’s Tribute Money, atmospheric perspective is used to create a convincing illusion of depth in the mountain background. Masaccio achieves this by successively lightening the tones of the more distant mountains, which simulates the way the atmosphere naturally affects the colors of objects as they recede from the viewer’s eye.1

By employing this technique, Masaccio moved away from the arbitrary physical laws often seen in medieval art, instead treating the painting as a window into a world governed by the same consistent laws of space, light, and form found in reality. This approach, combined with his use of consistent lighting that aligns with the actual light source in the Brancacci Chapel, reinforces the sense of a deep, rationally articulated space.123