FRA ANGELICO (c. 1400 - 1455)

Although clearly a man of the early Renaissance, Fra Angelico was different than him contemporaries. He spoke through his religious conviction, establishing in paint the virtues of man as a Christian.

It was at a very young age that Fra Angelico entered the Dominican monastery at Fiesole and it was during a very turbulent period of the Church. Dissension leading to the schism was rampant in the Church. Although not documented, it is assumed that Fra Angelico went into exiles with his Dominican brothers. In fact, little information about his early life is known. Probably influenced by Florentine artists, his first known surviving work date from about 1433, the Madonna of the Linen Drapers.

A large number of paintings such as the Coronation of the Virgin quickly followed, most as altarpieces to be displayed in monasteries. His fresco The Annunciation is possibly his most famous work. This piece was done for the monastery at San Marco in Florence and was commissioned by Cosimo de' Medici. In 1445 Fra Angelico was called to Rome by Pope Eugene IV in order to decorate a chapel at the Vatican. He returned to San Marco as Prior on the convent and died in Rome in 1455.

A biography by Vasari suggests that Fra Angelico received his training initially from a miniaturist by name of Masaccio. The importance of this is that Fra Angelico understood the basic tenets of art of the Quattrocentro. As with his contemporaries, he understood the used of perspective and used light as a vital element.

GOSSIP: It is known that Fra Angelico rose to a position of authority with the Dominican Order. While not documented, the story is that he refused the offer from the Pope in 1445 to become a cardinal, suggesting the position be offered to friend instead.