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The subject chosen for analysis is the Masaccio's Trinity with the virgin, Saint John the Evangelist, and Donors, in the Church of Santa Maria Novella, Florence, circa 1425(?). It is perhaps what led to or is part of the artist's most celebrated work, the Trinity cycle of frescos in the Brancacci Chapel at Santa Maria del Carmine, though the dates of the paintings cannot be exactly determined. The most striking visual element of this painting is its symmetry, as denoted by the placement of the human figures. Central to the painting visually is the image of a crucified Christ on top of an altar, located in the middle of the painting, overlapping the image of the Holy Father, and the dove representing the Holy Ghost. To either side of the alter stands two sets of figures, with the standing figures presumed to be the virgin and Saint John the Evangelist, while on the step below the two kneeling figures represent the donors. The two sets of figures are placed equi-distance across from each other, along with the image of Christ in the center framed by the perfectly symmetrical background of vertical columns, which extends tightly around the entire painting, through the altar steps. Further more, the color theme of the human figures are uniformly black or red, with the exception of Christ, further accentuating the symmetry. The overwhelmingly symmetrical composition of the piece is the defining characteristic of this particular painting. The painting is done in 21' x 10'5" fresco, the technique of mural painting on wet plaster. It is not an unusuall choice for the time period, as Italian patrons generally commissioned murals and large altarpieces for the local churches. Frescos being in great demand oftentimes prompted the artists to travel great distances in order to complete wall and ceiling decorations. Painting frescos however is often extremely demanding of the artist despite its seemly simple premises. The binding material used for fresco is calcium carbonate, or lime quarried from limestone.
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