Author Description

Fra Angelico (born Guido di Pietro) worked at a historic moment when the style of painting was in a state of change. This process of evolution began a century ago with the works of Giotto, who had many enthusiastic followers imitating the style of his frescoes.Fra Angelico's works reveal elements that are conservatively Gothic and progressively Renaissance. In the altar part of the Virgin Mary's Coronation, painted for the Florentine church of Santa Maria Novella, there is a precisely shaped gold background, a lot of azure, a lot of red and a bright arsenic green color. The production of golden haloes is exquisite and very gothic. What makes this Renaissance painting a masterpiece is a robust composition, three-dimensionality, and naturalism of the figures, as well as the realistic way in which the garments of the figures were depicted.The series of frescoes Fra Angelico painted for the Dominican monks in San Marcos, builds on the achievements made by Masaccio and raises them upwards. Going far from the limited tastes of his wealthy clients and the dogmas of sacral painting, Fra Angelico has been able to express his deep respect for his God and knowledge and love for humanity.