A Visit to Santa Maria Novella
HEATHER AITKEN writes:
Today our art history class visited another incredibly beautiful Gothic church called Santa Maria Novella. It was built starting in the year 1297. Santa Maria Novella is a church run by the Dominican order. Inside the chapel was amazing artwork, some pieces of particular interest were Masaccio's The Trinity, which is a masterpiece of perspective. It's hard to believe that this was painted in 1427 by Masaccio when he was only 26 years old. Also is the crucifix by Giotto from 1290, when he was only 23 years old, and frescoes by Ghirlandaio (who was Michelangelo's teacher). In one of the chapels there's a very famous painting done by Botticelli called The Adoration of the Magi, and the Medici family, who commissioned the work, are painted prominently in the foreground.
From here we headed over to the Brancacci Chapel and watched an interesting movie on the history of the church of Santa Maria del Carmine before entering. Brancacci Chapel had amazing frescoes which were started by Masolino in 1425 and his student, Masaccio. Fifty years later these frescoes were finished by Filippino Lippi (who is the son of Fra Filippo Lippi and Lucrezia Buti, a nun).* The frescoes describe the life of St. Peter, and for their period, were considered pioneering in that they expressed such immense emotion, layering, perspective, and showed people in the clothing of the Renaissance. It was an experience I will never forget.
*Fra Fillipo Lippi has entered legend as a Renaissance prototype of the rebellious romantic artist. His work was widely respected in his time, and he is known today as an innovative and accomplished painter of the Florentine Renaissance. Lippi was raised in a Carmelite friary and took vows as a friar in 1421. He soon had a love affair with Lucrezia Buti, a nun; both parties were released from their vows, and they married soon afterward.
