Connor Brigman
HIS 121 Western Civilization 1
Abbe DeBolt
The Holy Trinity The Holy Trinity by Masaccio is a detailed fresco that was painted in 1424. It resides in the church of Santa Maria Norella in Florence, Italy. This is one of the first paintings to depict actual time and space unlike other paintings at this time. In this painting Masaccio uses the one point linear perspective to show depth. The main focal point is on God who is standing above Jesus. The coffers on the ceiling create diagonal lines point to God, the focal point, which gives the painting the linear perspective. This painting has many symbols of the Christian religion.
The title Holy Trinity is in reference to the three significant figures in the Christen and Catholic Church. The three significant figures are God, the Holy Ghost, and Jesus. In the image they are arranged in a pyramid fashion displaying the most significant at the top. At the top of the trinity shows and image of God; on his shoulder there is a dove which symbolizes the Holy Ghost. This is followed by Jesus hanging on the cross below them. The image also contains Mary and St. John who are standing below the crucifixion. They are symbols to show their importance in the role of Jesus’ life. Mary is wearing dark clothing in this image. This shows her morning over Christ and how terrible she must have felt. She is also pointing up at Christ as if she is saying that he is the way to Heaven. It symbolizes that in order to get to Heaven one must understand the pain Jesus endured, believe in the Holy Ghost and want to seek god.
There is a tomb at the bottom of the painting with a skeleton lying out on a table. Above the skeleton there is a sentence in Latin. The translation of this is “as I am now so you shall be, you are now what I once was”. This statement is a memento moiré which is a reminder that death is inevitable. It was meant to show the viewer in that time period that death is inevitable; therefore, one must protect the future and follow the Christian religion. This ties in well with the symbolism of Mary pointing at Christ.
Above Jesus the dove that represents the Holy Ghost is looking down at him. This symbolizes the faith of Jesus in God and he is being rewarded in a way. He is having the
