Fra Angelico

Fra Angelico's paintings join early Renaissance studies of form and space with the devotional life of the Dominican order. His altarpieces use clear color and carefully arranged figures to present Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the saints. At San Marco in Florence, frescoes in the friars' cells and shared spaces place sacred events within the surroundings of daily religious life. The rebuilding of this Dominican house was supported by Cosimo de' Medici, connecting the commission with Florentine patronage. The Annunciation concentrates the encounter between Gabriel and Mary through restrained gesture and a simple architectural frame. Christ Glorified in the Court of Heaven, the lower part of an altarpiece for San Domenico at Fiesole, gathers angels around the risen Christ. Other works, including the Coronation of the Virgin, use a richer ceremonial gathering of sacred figures.