May 11th - Santa Maria Novella

Santa Maria Novella is a Dominican basilica
near the train station in downtown Florence. Its facade, though similar in colour and structure to the Tuscan-Romanesque architecture of the Renaissance period, differs slightly stylistically. Instead of the traditional rounded arch, it uses the characteristically pointed arch of the Gothic style. However, the church as a whole exudes a sense of architectural unity that is a symbol of the Renaissance beliefs at the time - that all parts of a whole should be in harmony.
Santa Maria Novella is home to many famous works of Renaissance art, the first being Masaccio's "The Trinity," the first painting to utilize one-point perspective. One-point perspective is a method of creating art
that is realistic to life (by using a vanishing point on the horizon and series of lines that run through it), and was invented by the architect Filippo Brunelleschi. Brunelleschi was not a painter, so he taught this technique to the progressive artist, Masaccio. Although the perspective is not quite correct, it is a jaw-dropping sight to behold. It was made to create the illusion of a chapel extending through the wall, and seeing the fresco in person, I can tell how this innovation would have revolutionized the way Renaissance people created art. When you look at the painting, you are at eye level with the vanishing point, so it seems as though you could stare right up at Christ and at the ceiling.


Another work of art within Santa Maria Novella is Brunelleschi's wooden crucifix. This cross has been hailed as one of the finest wooden sculptures of the Renaissance. As Peter would say, Brunelleschi created Jesus with the "ideal body," which was a common practice during the time. Every visible inch is anatomically correct, showing realistic muscle and bone contour, and body position. Donatello, one of the most famous sculptors of all time, even recognized that he could not create a masterpiece such as Brunelleschi's. And Masaccio himself even pays tribute to the crucifix by painting it into "The Trinity." It is hard to fully comprehend these artworks without seeing them in person. Every last detail on Brunelleschi's crucifix is clearer. The illusion of staring up into the "chapel" painted by Masaccio is all the more realistic. These artists' attention to detail and artistic development is all the more evident after visiting Santa Maria Novella.