Masaccio - Raising of the Son of Theophilus and St Peter Enthroned (detail) - WGA14190

Masaccio (born Tommaso di Giovanni di Simone Guidi) (1401–1428) was a famous Italian artist of the first half of the XV century, a painter and muralist, who worked mainly in the religious genre, is considered one of the pioneers of the Renaissance. He was born in San Giovanni Valdarno, Italy, and began his career as an apprentice in the workshop of the artist Masolino da Panicale. Masaccio is known for his innovative techniques and use of perspective in his paintings, which were a significant departure from the stylized, decorative art of the medieval period. He is also known for his emotional and expressive use of figures and his ability to depict human anatomy in a naturalistic way. Masaccio's most famous works include the frescoes he painted in the Brancacci Chapel in the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine in Florence, Italy. These frescoes, which depict scenes from the life of St. Peter, are considered some of the greatest masterpieces of the early Renaissance. Masaccio died in 1428 at the age of 27, leaving a small but influential body of work that had a lasting impact on the development of Western art.