Masaccio

Masaccio's great fresco series in the Brancacci Chapel of Santa Maria del Carmine in Florence adds yet another dimension to early Renaissance painting. In this narrative sequence devoted to the life of St. Peter, he chose the most important moment in the narrative and then emphasized the drama by the human reactions to it. "The Tribute Money" is a simple yet powerful illustration of Christ's words, in which each apostle reacts individually to the tax collector's claim and Christ's reply (see photograph). In this same chapel Masaccio also demonstrated his awareness of the real world, for the light of the paintings, indicated by the cast shadows, is the same as the natural light falling into the chapel.