How does light create a sense of volume in Masaccio’s Virgin and Child from the Pisa Altarpiece?

In Masaccio’s Virgin and Child from the 1426 Pisa Altarpiece, the artist creates a powerful sense of volume and three-dimensionality through the strategic manipulation of light and shade.12

Rather than relying on decorative patterns, Masaccio uses light to define the physical presence of his figures. Specifically, he employs a sharp contrast between the bright lighting on the right side of the Madonna and the deep shadow on her left. This technique, which emphasizes strongly differentiated areas of light and dark, allows the figure to appear solid and sculptural rather than flat. By treating the figures as bodies bathed in a consistent, directional light, Masaccio provides an illusion of depth and monumentality that makes the Madonna appear as an earthly, tangible presence towering over the spectator.123