Who is Fra Angelico｜Artist Biography｜VISART

Fra Angelico, OP was an Italian painter of the early Renaissance who lived from 1395 to 1455. He was born in Ropacanina, Italy and was known during his lifetime as Fra Giovanni de Fiesola or Fra Giovanni Angelico. In modern Italian, he is called Beato Angelico, and in English, he is often referred to as the Angelic Friar. Fra Angelico was primarily known for his religious paintings and frescoes. He was associated with the early Renaissance period and is considered part of the art movement known as L2. He gained particular fame for the series of frescoes he created for his own friary, San Marco, in Florence. His work was admired for its piety and the ease with which he painted. In 1982, Pope John Paul II recognized Fra Angelico's remarkable life by proclaiming him blessed. This declaration made his title of blessed official and added to his legacy as a holy person. Vasari, the famous art historian, praised him highly, saying that, it is impossible to bestow too much praise on this holy father, who was so humble and modest in all that he did and said. Fra Angelico, originally named Guido di Pietro, was born in the Tuscan area of Mugello near Fiesola in the late 14th century. As a child, he was probably known as Guidolino. He joined a religious confraternity in 1417 and was already a painter by that time. Angelico then joined the Dominican Order and took the name Fra Giovanni. He trained as an illuminator and may have had Lorenzo Monaco as a teacher. Angelico painted an altarpiece and a painted screen for the Charterhouse of Florence, but they no longer exist. Between 1418 and 1436, Angelico was at the convent of Fiesola, where he executed a number of frescoes, including the Madonna of Humility and an Annunciation with a Madonna of the Pomegranate. In 1436, Fra Angelico moved to the newly built convent of San Marco in Florence with other friars from Fiesola. The patronage of Cosimo de' Medici helped him center within the artistic activity of the region. Fra Angelico decorated the convent under the urging of Cosimo, including the fresco of the Charterhouse and the often reproduced Annunciation at the top of the stairs. He also created many other devotional frescoes, depicting aspects of the life of Christ, that adorn the walls of each cell. Fra Angelico's sacred conversations became the major commissions of some of the most famous artists of the Renaissance, including Giovanni Bellini, Perugino, and Raphael. In 1439, he completed the San Marco altarpiece at Florence, which depicts the saints standing squarely within the space, grouped in a natural way. In 1445, Pope Eugene IV summoned Fra Angelico to Rome to paint the frescoes of the Chapel of the Holy Sacrament at St. Peter's. Vasari claims that at this time, he was offered the Archbishopric of Florence by Pope Nicholas V, but he refused. Fra Angelico created several paintings during this period, including the Healing of Justinian by St. Cosmas and St. Damian. He continued his work until his death in 1455, leaving behind several masterpieces, including the Predella of the San Domenico altarpiece, and Last Judgment. His contributions to the world of art are still highly valued today. In conclusion, Fra Angelico, known as the «Angelic Friar», was an Italian painter of the early Renaissance whose religious paintings and frescoes left a lasting impact on the art world. His work, characterized by its piety and skillful execution, gained particular fame for the series of frescoes he created for San Marco in Florence. Fra Angelico's talent and devotion to his craft were recognized by Pope John Paul II in 1982 when he was proclaimed «blessed» and his legacy as a holy person was cemented. Praised by art historian Vasari for his humility and modesty, Fra Angelico's notable contributions to art continue to be highly valued today.