{"id":6111,"date":"2018-02-23T15:26:17","date_gmt":"2018-02-23T20:26:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/?p=6111"},"modified":"2018-02-23T15:29:02","modified_gmt":"2018-02-23T20:29:02","slug":"fra-angelico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/2018\/02\/23\/fra-angelico\/","title":{"rendered":"Rare Exhibit Of Fra Angelico, The Exquisite Renaissance Painter Who Pioneered New Tellings Of Angels, Saints, Demons"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fra Angelico, the 15th century Dominican Catholic friar, \u201cwas one of the most revolutionary painters of his moment, in part because of the way he told stories,\u201d says Nathaniel Silver, associate curator of the collection at Boston\u2019s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the organizer of \u201cFra Angelico: Heaven On Earth,\u201d<\/a> on view there through May 20, 2018. The \u201cthe sole venue\u201d for the exhibit, it offers a rare chance to see the art of the Renaissance master up close.<\/p>\n

In exquisitely painted Christian scenes, decorated with gold, and painted in exquisite faerie blues, pinks and reds, \u201cFra Angelico pioneered many of the stylistic trends that distinguish the early Renaissance, including the rational treatment of pictorial space and the volumetric modeling of forms with light and shadow,\u201d New York\u2019s Metropolitan Museum of Art asserts. \u201cAt every stage of his career, in fact, Fra Angelico remained at the forefront of artistic innovation in Florence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Silver argues that part of Fra Angelico\u2019s innovation was to break away from tradition (\u201cThe norm at this time is to copy the thing that came before you,\u201d Silver says) and invent new ways of telling the familiar Bible stories.<\/p>\n

\"Fra<\/a>
Fra Angelico “The Dormition and Assumption of the Virgin,” about 1433\/34. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The show features 13 paintings Fra Angelico created between the 1420s and \u201850s. \u201cThe core of the exhibition is around one of the icons, one of the masterpieces of the museum,\u201d Silver says. Isabella Stewart Gardner acquired Fra Angelico\u2019s \u201cDormition and Assumption of the Virgin\u201d (about 1433\/34) in 1899. It’s one of a set of four reliquaries (exulted containers for the bones, skin, or hair of sacred people) that he painted in quick-drying egg tempera and oil glazes, plus gold, on wooden boards for the church of Santa Maria Novella in Florence.<\/p>\n

\n

Help Wonderland keep producing our great coverage of local arts, cultures and activism by contributing to Wonderland on Patreon<\/a>. And sign up for our free, weekly newsletter<\/a> so that you don’t miss any of our reporting.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n
\"Detail<\/a>
Detail of Fra Angelico “The Annunciation and The Adoration of the Magi,” about 1426\/27. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

They recount the legend of Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, the central figure of Christianity. \u201cShe married an aging suitor (Joseph); miraculously conceived a child while remaining a virgin; never died but fell into a final sleep (her Dormition); and was assumed body and soul into heaven, where Christ crowned his mother as queen,\u201d a sign explains.<\/p>\n

Today the four paintings are divided between museums in Florence and Boston. \u201cThey haven\u2019t been together since they left the church [one by one, beginning around 1816]. So they haven\u2019t been together in over 200 years,\u201d Silver says. (The reliquaries here are not original, but later replacements, Silver says, empty of human remains.)<\/p>\n

\"Detail<\/a>
Detail of Fra Angelico “The Dormition and Assumption of the Virgin,” about 1433\/34. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe Dormition and Assumption of the Virgin\u201d depicts, at bottom, Mary as a green-faced corpse laid out on her funeral bier with saints gather around her. Above she stands atop a cloud, seemingly dancing her way up to heaven as angels around her.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe way he tells it is brand new,\u201d Silver says. \u201cHe\u2019s not just showing you what happened, but he\u2019s thinking about how it happened, what the angels are doing. \u2026 Though this kind of divine vortex, they are kind of propelling the Virgin into heaven. The wind that they\u2019re generating is actually moving their garments. He\u2019s actually thinking not just that she ascended, but the very means of her ascent.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Fra<\/a>
Fra Angelico “The Madonna della Stella (Madonna of the Star),” about 1433\/34. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fra Angelico (about 1400\u20131455) trained in Florence to be a painter of holy manuscripts and small narrative panels. \u201cAdmission to the Dominican order\u2014a religious group of devout intellectuals who defended the church from heresy\u2014 transformed Guido\u2019s career,\u201d a sign says. \u201cMonumental altarpieces and fresco cycles for the order\u2019s churches established his reputation for innovative sacred images. Successes in Florence and Fiesole led to prestigious commissions from the pope.\u201d<\/p>\n

Imagine dark churches, with few windows, lit by candles and oil lamps. \u201cThey\u2019re filled often with incense, some smoke. Maybe there\u2019s a shaft of light coming in from the window that\u2019s illuminated in the candle smoke. Then you have these dots of light around the church, around the altars,\u201d Silver says. On or above the altar, picture one of Fra Angelico\u2019s paintings, shimmering with gold and heightened blues made with lapis lazuli rock imported from what is now Afghanistan, a material then \u201cas expensive as gold,\u201d Silver says. The gold of an altarpiece would reflect and amplify the candles on the altar. \u201cIt would have been a beacon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Fra<\/a>
Fra Angelico “Paradise,” 1431\u201335. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fra Angelico is \u201calso called on to tell stories that haven\u2019t been painted before,\u201d Silver says referring to the \u201cParadise\u201d altarpiece that he painted between 1431 and \u201935 for Sant\u2019Egidio (Saint Giles), a church attached to the largest hospital in Florence. It resembles one of the usual scenes of Christ crowning Mary in heaven\u2014except for a slight difference. Silver says, \u201cthe Virgin, if you look very closely, is already wearing a crown and Christ is reaching across and placing a gem in it.\u201d The gem is a raised bump, \u201ca tiny little plaster detail.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a story recounted in the text written by [the Saint] Bridget of Sweden, a medieval mystic, but this story has never been painted before,\u201d Silver says. \u201cChristianity generally tends not to change much over time. So introducing a new subject is a big deal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Christ<\/a>
Christ reaching to place a gem on his mother’s crown in Fra Angelico “Paradise,” 1431\u201335. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The name Fra Angelico was a name the artist acquired after his death to honor his talents. He\u2019d been born Guido di Pietro and known for most of his life as Fra Giovanni, the name he chose when he joined the convent of San Domenico in Fiesole. \u201cThe epithet \u2018Angelic Painter\u2019 is a direct comparison with [the great Dominican theologian ] Thomas Aquinas, who was called the \u2018Angelic Doctor,\u2019\u201d Silver says. \u201cTo be compared to Thomas Aquinas is like being compared to Einstein today. He\u2019s one of the great intellectuals of all time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s able to retell certain Christian stories in new ways, ways that people haven\u2019t thought about before,\u201d Silver says. \u201cHe looked to create completely novel images from scratch. He\u2019s the painter you go to if you want something completely new, completely different. \u2026 He has both the imagination and the technique. It\u2019s an amazing combination.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Help Wonderland keep producing our great coverage of local arts, cultures and activism by contributing to Wonderland on Patreon<\/a>. And sign up for our free, weekly newsletter<\/a> so that you don’t miss any of our reporting.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n
\"Fra<\/a>
Fra Angelico “The Ascension of Christ, The Last Judgment, Pentecost (Corsini Triptych),”
1447\u201348. (Courtesy Gardner Museum)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\""The<\/a>
“The damned cower from fearsome devils who attack the poor souls with claws” in Fra Angelico “The Ascension of Christ, The Last Judgment, Pentecost (Corsini Triptych),”
1447\u201348. (Courtesy Gardner Museum)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Fra<\/a>
“The damned cower from fearsome devils who attack the Fra Angelico “The Entombment of Christ,” about 1450. (Courtesy Gardner Museum)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Fra<\/a>
Fra Angelico “Paradise,” 1431\u201335. (Courtesy Gardner Museum)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Notice<\/a>
Notice the tiny, raised plaster details like this staff in Fra Angelico “Paradise,” 1431\u201335. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"An<\/a>
An angel band in Fra Angelico “Paradise,” 1431\u201335. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Fra<\/a>
Fra Angelico “The Marriage of the Virgin,” 1431\u201335. (Courtesy Gardner Museum)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Fra<\/a>
Fra Angelico “The Dormition of the Virgin,” 1431\u201335. (Courtesy of Gardener Museum)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Fra<\/a>
Fra Angelico and Zanobi Strozzi
“Six panels from the Annalen predella: Scenes fro the Life of Cosmas and Damian,” about 1437\u201340. (Courtesy Gardner Museum)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\""Saints<\/a><\/p>\n

\""Saints<\/a>
“Saints Cosmas and Damian Burned Alive” from Fra Angelico and Zanobi Strozzi
“Six panels from the Annalen predella: Scenes fro the Life of Cosmas and Damian,” about 1437\u201340. (Courtesy Gardner Museum)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\""The<\/a>
“The Martyrdom of Saints Cosmas and Damian” from Fra Angelico and Zanobi Strozzi
“Six panels from the Annalen predella: Scenes fro the Life of Cosmas and Damian,” about 1437\u201340. (Courtesy Gardner Museum)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Fra<\/a>
Fra Angelico “The Dormition and Assumption of the Virgin,” about 1425. (Courtesy of Gardener Museum)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Fra<\/a>
Fra Angelico “The Penitent Saint Jerome,” Pen and ink and wash on white paper, about 1430. (Courtesy of Gardener Museum)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Fra<\/a>
Fra Angelico “The Coronation of the Virgin,” about 1429. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Fra<\/a>
Fra Angelico “The Annunciation and The Adoration of the Magi,” about 1426\/27. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Fra<\/a>
Fra Angelico “One panel from the Armadio deli Argenti (silver chest),” 1450\u201352. (Courtesy of Gardner Museum)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The<\/a>
The damned in “Fra Angelico “One panel from the Armadio deli Argenti (silver chest),” 1450\u201352. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Christ<\/a>
Christ ascends into Heaven (see those feet at the top) in “Fra Angelico “One panel from the Armadio deli Argenti (silver chest),” 1450\u201352. (Greg Cook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fra Angelico, the 15th century Dominican Catholic friar, \u201cwas one of the most revolutionary painters of his moment, in part because of the way he told stories,\u201d says Nathaniel Silver, associate curator of the collection at Boston\u2019s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the organizer of \u201cFra Angelico: Heaven On Earth,\u201d on view there through May […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6123,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[100],"tags":[37,302,301,300,215,299,303],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6111"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6111"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6111\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6153,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6111\/revisions\/6153"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6123"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6111"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6111"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}