Figure 4.2 (far left) The Temptation of Adam, 1426–7, by Masolino, fresco, Brancacci Chapel, Florence.
Figure 4.3 (centre) Expulsion from the Garden of Eden, c. 1426–7, by Massaccio, fresco, Brancacci Chapel, Florence. The outline around Adam’s head shows a giornata or ‘one day’s work’ in fresco. The blue azurite painted a secco has completely faded and only the grey blue primer applied to wet plaster remains.
Masolino’s long slender figures in The Temptation of Adam (Fig. 4.2) have gentle facial expressions and stand quietly in the garden, whereas Masaccio’s (Fig. 4.3) simple but dramatically expressive figures in Expulsion from the Garden of Eden show raw emotion. Eve lifts her head to cry out in anguish and Adam covers his face in shame and regret as they stumble forward in sorrow and awkward nakedness. In spite of their despair, the figures show dignity and beauty.
Eve’s gestures echo those of the Classical statue, Venus Pudica (Fig. 4.4).
The Tribute Money
The cycle of frescoes in the Brancacci Chapel is based on the life of St Peter, but overall it represents the salvation of mankind. The panel known as The Tribute Money (Fig. 4.5) relates to the yearly tax for the temple in Jerusalem.
Figure 4.5 The Tribute Money, 1426–7 by Masaccio, fresco,
