Masaccio

Masaccio is considered a pioneer in the art of the Italian Renaissance. His frescos created a new era in Florentine art, and his work was both instructional and inspirational for generations of Italian artists to come, including Michelangelo and Raphael. His work is revolutionary in that he advanced art through the use of realism, and that he is universally recognized as the first artist to employ the laws of perspective. Masaccio's knowledge of the human form and his presentation of it "in the round", as well as his naturalistic treatment of both figures and landscapes, led Leonardo da Vinci to call his frescos "perfect works."