The painters of Florence from the thirteenth to the sixteenth century . ard with a birth-plate andgifts in their hands, and two young heralds, blowingtrumpets and bearing the lilies of Florence on theirbanner, announce the arrival of some visitor of im-portance. It is a delightful little bit of genrepainting, in which Masaccio displays his skill inchiaroscuro and perspective, in one of those cleverlysketched interiors of which Vasari speaks, and at thesame time excites our admiration by the vivacity of his heads and beautiful alacrity of gesture andexpression. And it acquires additional intere
The painters of Florence from the thirteenth to the sixteenth century . ard with a birth-plate andgifts in their hands, and two young heralds, blowingtrumpets and bearing the lilies of Florence on theirbanner, announce the arrival of some visitor of im-portance. It is a delightful little bit of genrepainting, in which Masaccio displays his skill inchiaroscuro and perspective, in one of those cleverlysketched interiors of which Vasari speaks, and at thesame time excites our admiration by the vivacity of his heads and beautiful alacrity of gesture andexpression. And it acquires additional interest fromthe fact that it is probably the very desco da partowhich is mentioned in Lorenzo de Medicis inventoryas being the work of Masaccio. But we must turn to the six frescoes, whichMasaccio executed during the last years of hislife, in the Brancacci Chapel, and which are univer-sally recognised to be his work. On the left pilasterat the entrance he painted the Expulsion fromParadise as a companion picture to the Fall ofAdam and Eve, on the opposite wall. The extra-. THE EXPULSION FROM PARADISE. (bRANCACCI chapel)—MASACCIO. [ To face pa^e 94 1428] ADAM AND EVE gs ordinary progress made by the artist during theinterval which had elapsed since he finished thefirst subject, is apparent to all. Then he was theyoung and inexperienced student, carrying out hismasters ideas, and only timidly venturing on innova-tions and improvements of his own. Now he hadmastered the problems of anatomy and perspective,and was able to give complete expression to hisdreams. It is a strangely moving scene, this pictureof our first parents driven out of Eden, and draggingtheir weary limbs along under the burden of theirdespair, while the stern Angel hovers above withbared sword, and points to the wide and desolateworld before them. The nude forms are drawn witheasy mastery, and the contrast between the passionatewail of the woman and silent despair of the man isnobly conceived and finely rendered. No
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectpainter, bookyear1901
