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Monday, February 18, 2013
Blessed John of Fiesole
(c. 1400-1455)
The
patron of Christian artists was born around 1400 in a village
overlooking Florence. He took up painting as a young boy and studied
under the watchful eye of a local painting master. He joined the
Dominicans at about age 20, taking the name Fra Giovanni. He eventually
came to be known as Fra Angelico, perhaps a tribute to his own angelic
qualities or maybe the devotional tone of his works.
He continued to study painting and perfect his own techniques, which
included broad-brush strokes, vivid colors and generous, lifelike
figures. Michelangelo once said of Fra Angelico: “One has to believe
that this good monk has visited paradise and been allowed to choose his
models there.” Whatever his subject matter, Fra Angelico sought to
generate feelings of religious devotion in response to his paintings.
Among his most famous works are the Annunciation and Descent from the
Cross as well as frescoes in the monastery of San Marco in Florence.
He also served in leadership positions within the Dominican
Order. At one point Pope Eugenius approached him about serving as
archbishop of Florence. Fra Angelico declined, preferring a simpler
life. He died in 1455.
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