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Fra Angelico
Fra Angelico was an Italian painter celebrated for his frescoes
in the convent of S. Marco, Florence. In 1407
he entered the Dominican convent of S.
Domenico, Fiesole, near Florence, of which he
was later prior (1449—52). Papal
politics forced
the community to leave Fiesole (1409-18) and
some time after their return Fra Angelico
began to
paint;
nothing is known about his early training but
he shows the influence of such International
Gothic painters as Monaco. He executed (c.
1428-33) an altarpiece (extensively altered by
di Credi, c. 1501) and 3 frescoes (sala capitolare
of the convent) for his own convent
and an
Annunciation for the church of S. Domenico,
Cortona: these foreshadow the simplicity of his
mature work.
In 1433 he was commissioned
to paint the 'Linaiuoli' or 'Linen-workers'
triptych, particularly famous for the 12 angels
playing on musical instruments which decorate
the frame surrounding the central figures of the
Virgin and Child. Two triptychs, painted after
this for the churches of S. Domenico, Cortona
and Perugia in the Gothic style, show that Fra Angelico
was attempting to break with the conventions
of this form of altarpiece. In 1436 Cosimo de'
Medici commissioned Fra Angelico to paint 3 altarpieces
including the high altar for
the Dominican
convent of S. Marco, Florence - Virgin and
Child Enthroned with SS Cosmos and Damian
(1438-40). In these and the slightly earlier
Coronation of the Virgin for Fiesole the figures
of saints and angels recede towards the central
figure, marking a step in the development of
the sacra conversazione altarpiece. Fra Angelico also uses
single panels instead of the triptych and
completely abandons the Gothic gold background; in the S. Marco altarpiece he
introduces landscape background. The predella
scenes for this altarpiece from the lives of
SS Cosmas and Damian illustrate Fra Angelico's
excellence as a colourist and are his most lively
narrative paintings.
Fra Angelico began, about this time,
to supervise the painting of 50 frescoes of
scenes from the life of Christ for the cells of the
convent of S. Marco; he himself
probably
painted not more than 10. Their setting and
purpose, which was not decorative but to act
as an aid to meditation, were ideally suited to
the direct and simple piety characteristic of Fra Angelico's
painting. Those by him are the most straightforward and hence most effectively fulfil their
purpose.
In 1447 he was in Orvieto where he
painted The Last judgement, finished by
Signorelli, and in Rome executing decorative
work in the Vatican for Pope Nicholas V. Only
his frescoes in the chapel of Nicholas V
(1447/8) survive. In keeping with their setting
these are richer and more complex than any of
Angelico's previous work.
Angelico died in Rome. Much
of his work refers back to Giotto and he took
no part in the artistic experiments and secular
interests of his contemporaries, although he
utilized new visual techniques such as perspective if they served the devotional purpose of
his painting.
Gozzoli was his pupil.
Source: The Thames and Hudson Dictionary of Art and Artists (World of Art)
Biography II
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