His
major works can be found in Florence, Lombardy, Umbria, and Rome. Masolino
da Panicale was a pupil of Ghilberrti. There is a belief that Masolino
was Masaccio’s teacher. Whether it's true or
not, both painters worked successfully in 1424, when the Virgin
and Child with St. Anne (St. Anne Meterza) marked
the start of their partnership, which culminated in the Brancacci
Chapel in St. Maria del Carmine in Florence. In 1425, Masolino left
for Hungary in the train of Cardinal Branda Castiglione. Later, in 1428,
the Cardinal invited him to Rome to paint the frescoes in the private chapel
of the church of St. Clement’s. The frescos were dedicated to the Scenes
from the Life of St. Catherine of Alexandria. Cardinal Castiglione summoned
him again in 1435, this time to Castiglione Olona in Lombardy. Together
with other major Tuscan artists he painted the frescos in the Collegiate
choir, some of the rooms in the Cardinal’s palace and, most importantly,
a spectacular section of the Baptistry.
Masolino’s method of depicting figures remained that of the late-Gothic,
but at the same his objects have volume and give a sense of perspective
to the spectators, which means that he must be considered one of the heralds
of Renaissance art.
Bibliography: Painting of Europe. XIII-XX centuries. Encyclopedic Dictionary.
Moscow. Iskusstvo. 1999.
The Art of the Italian Renaissance. Architecture. Sculpture. Painting.
Drawing. Könemann. 1995.
The
Panel Paintings of Masolino and Masaccio: The Role of Technique
by Carl B Strehlke, Cecilia Frosinini. 5 Continents Editions, 2002.
Masaccio
& Masolino by Paul Joannides. Phaidon Press, 1994.
