Fra Angelico

Lore & Background

Fra Angelico was born around 1395 in Vicchio near Fiesole. He joined the Dominican convent of San Domenico in Fiesole by 1423, adopting the name Fra Giovanni. He trained as a manuscript illuminator and may have collaborated with his brother Benedetto. His early works include the Fiesole Altarpiece and a Coronation of the Virgin altarpiece. In 1436, he moved to the newly built convent of San Marco in Florence, where he received patronage from Cosimo de' Medici and created a series of frescoes, including the Annunciation and the Deposition of Christ. He later worked in Rome under Popes Eugene IV and Nicholas V, painting frescoes in the Niccoline Chapel. He died in 1455 in Rome and was buried in Santa Maria sopra Minerva.

Reader's Guide

Fra Angelico's significance lies in his role as a pioneer of early Renaissance artistic trends, particularly linear perspective and a greater emphasis on depth and naturalistic form, moving away from the gold grounds of the Gothic period. His San Marco Altarpiece introduced the sacra conversazione genre, depicting saints in a natural, conversational grouping around the Virgin Mary, influencing later artists such as Giovanni Bellini, Titian, Perugino, and Raphael. His work at San Marco, under Medici patronage, placed him at the heart of Florentine artistic life. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1982 and declared patron of Catholic artists in 1984. His legacy is preserved in his religious frescoes and altarpieces, which remain influential in the history of art.

Did You Know?

• Fra Angelico was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1982 and declared patron of Catholic artists in 1984.
• He created the San Marco Altarpiece, which established the sacra conversazione genre.
• He rejected the offer of the Archbishopric of Florence, according to Vasari, though the story does not align with historical facts.
• His tomb in Santa Maria sopra Minerva bears two epitaphs, probably by Lorenzo Valla.