Fra Angelico. Stephan Beissel
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extremities, are immaterial apparitions dressed in diaphanous clothing that seems to have been woven from spider webs, scattered with flowers, and ornamented with borders of foliage. A few of the faces, particularly Saint Anthony and his protégé, have a calm and solemn look, while Mary and her holy Son welcome the viewer with an expression of lovable serenity. The whole is achieved with care and an irreproachable conscience.”[6]
In that period, Gubbio was rich with such paintings. The painter Martino, Ottaviano’s father, was already working in the town by 1385, surrounded by a circle of artists who followed the same techniques, as well as Ottaviano’s grandfather, the sculptor Mattiolo. A connection between Fra Giovanni and Ottaviano Nelli seems even more likely, because Ottaviano’s brother, Tomasuccio worked for the Dominicans in Gubbio. Nevertheless, one must remember Förster’s very apt remark that, “The art of Fra Angelico has such originality and personality that it could not be derived from another artist. This art is one with the human nature it serves to express. It developed under the beneficial influence of traditional art in general, art which could be found throughout the entire land.”[7]
11. Virgin and Child Enthroned, with Four Saints John the Baptist, John the Evangelist, Mark and Mary Magdalene (Cortona triptych), c. 1437. Tempera on wood panel, 218 × 240 cm.Museo Diocesano, Cortona.
12. The Annunciation (Cortona altarpiece with predella), c. 1432–1434. Tempera on wood panel, 175 × 180 cm. Museo Diocesano, Cortona.
13. Fra Filippo Lippi, The Annunciation, c. 1445. Tempera on wood panel, 175 × 183 cm. San Lorenzo, Florence.
Only four of Fra Angelico’s paintings, executed in Cortona between 1407 and 1418, can be seen as early works with some degree of certainty. The most important of these is a painting created for his Order’s church (San Domenico) in Cortona, today placed in a chapel near the main altar. Marchese considers it to be one of his fellow Dominican’s best works, and other authors have expressed themselves similarly. Judgments of this nature prove the difficulty in establishing the chronology of Fra Angelico’s works using critical evaluations. With other masters, it is possible to establish successive periods, and often, their best work dates from a period later in their careers. Here is a painting from the beginning of Fra Giovanni’s career that could be considered perfect in its genre. It should be remembered that the artist was born in 1378, took his vows in Cortona at the age of twenty-two, and lived in that town until he was thirty-one. In general, progress in Angelico’s work can only be found in details like the perspective of the background, the style of the architecture, and the costumes.
In the centre of The Cortona Altarpiece Mary is seated on her throne, wearing a blue cloak that almost entirely covers her red gown. The nude Christ Child on her knees holds a deep red rose. To each side of Mary, two angels bring baskets of flowers of shimmering colours. At the foot of the throne, bouquets of roses bloom in magnificent vases. In a separate compartment to the right appear the figures of Saint Mary Magdalene, and Saint Mark. To the left are found Saint John the Baptist, and Saint John the Evangelist. The Crucifixion, with Mary and Saint John, can be seen in the arch above the central painting. In the arches above the four saints can be seen the characters of the Annunciation.
“At the sight of this painting, one cannot help being struck by an impression of springtime freshness. One feels the beating of the young artist’s heart, happy with his creation, and with him, one is elevated to heights of celestial enchantment. Above all, it is the infant Jesus who seems to glow with the light of the morning star, followed by the pairs of angels who fascinate with the softness of their celestial smiles. The predella is also inundated with a beauty one cannot help but admire. The states of the different characters’ souls are expressed with a very delicate feeling. Where he wishes to express the suffering of those mourning the death of Saint Dominic, Angelico pours out his heart with the plentiful treasures of his compassion. He clearly sheds tears of personal mourning in this painting.”[8]
14. Annunciatory Angel, c. 1424. Tempera and gold on wood panel, 18.1 × 13.5 cm. Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven.
15. Virgin Annunciate, c. 1424. Tempera and gold on wood panel, 18.1 × 17.8 cm. Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven.
The predella of the altarpiece shows eight scenes from the life of Saint Dominic. It is separated by six dividers between which are seen the figures of saints. Today it is placed in the baptistry near the cathedral (Oratorio del Gesu). Another altarpiece from San Domenico, an Annunciation was also placed in this location. Mary is seated in a loggia, and has dropped onto her lap the open book she was reading. She humbly crosses her hands across her chest in deference. Gabriel has rapidly entered the loggia. Extending his hands before him, he indicates with his right hand, Mary, the object of his mission, and raises his left hand, to remind that the mission was received from Heaven. A banner that comes from his mouth contains the words of the Hail Mary (Ave Maria,) and a dove descends towards Mary. In the background, Adam and Eve can be seen, driven from Paradise, as a contrast to the mystery of the Incarnation. The predella is composed of six scenes from the life of Mary (the Nativity, the Wedding, the Visitation, the Adoration of the Magi, the Presentation in the Temple, and the Death and Funeral of Mary) and her apparition to Saint Reginald.
It is possible that this last composition work was part of the Cortona Altarpiece’s predella. It is more skillfully painted than the Annunciation, which should be considered a first attempt.[9] Above the entrance of San Domenico, Fra Giovanni painted the Madonna and Child between Saint Dominic and Saint Peter Martyr, and the four Evangelists in the vault.
The Dominican church in Perugia once possessed a large altarpiece by Fra Angelico (Mary and Child Flanked by Angels Holding Baskets of Flowers). Few towns show the contrasts and changes brought with the passage of time as Perugia does. Its church, San Domenico, was built in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries and then altered to such a great degree in the seventeenth century that its primitive origins are barely visible. The altarpiece was broken up, but the majority of its panels are now found in the Pinoteca Vannuci, whose collection was created with the spoils of the town’s churches and convents placed on the second floor of the massive and robust Palazzo Pubblico. It is true that historians and researchers rejoice in the accumulated resources, the documents, and artworks of Italy’s libraries and museums. Their collections undoubtedly facilitate the consultation of these materials, often very admirably, but this does not diminish or atone the injustice of the church’s losses. Marchese saw fragments of the altarpiece when they were still in the town’s Dominican convent. He considers them to be the first fruits of the master’s work, countering Rio’s opinion that they were painted around 1450. In reality, the paintings of the Perugia Altarpiece are so similar to those of Cortona that it is logical to assign them to the same period.
As in Cortona, angels holding a basket of flowers stand on both sides of Mary’s throne (Illustration). In the outer panels stand the large figures of saints. Two other angels contemplate the scene from behind the throne’s pillars, and on the ground before the throne are three vases of flowers. Here again, the holy Child standing on his Mother’s knee, holds a rose just taken from one of the baskets offered by the angels. In the side tympanums above the altarpiece, Angelico again painted the two characters of the Annunciation, while the predella contains scenes from the legend of Saint Nicholas (Saint Nicholas Saving Three Men Condemned to Execution and The Death of Saint Nicholas, and The Birth of Saint Nicholas, His Vocation, The Gift to Three Young Girls). Two of these paintings are now located in the museum of Perugia, and two others are in the Vatican. The small images of twelve saints, painted on the frame, have suffered considerably, and half of them are destroyed.
16. Virgin Annunciate, 1450–1455. Tempera and gold on wood panel, 33 × 27 cm. The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit.
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