Fra Angelico, Annunciation, 1440-45. Convent of San Marco, Florence.
This autumn there will be an exhibition, the likes of which only Florence can stage, dedicated to Fra Angelico (c.1395-1465), one of the most significant artists of the Early Renaissance. Across two locations, and with connections to others sites in Italy, Fra Angelico will be the first major display of the artist’s work in over 70 years. It has provided the opportunity to conserve numerous works, and bring more together than ever before.
First recorded as a Dominican friar, his art manages to combine a profound sense of religiosity with the latest innovations of the Florentine Renaissance. As a young artist, he was influenced by painters and sculptors alike, and the exhibition will chart this dialogue, and the subsequent development of his work.
Led by art historian and lecturer Dr Richard Stemp, our two evenings Short Course examines the Florence into which Fra Angelico was born, the development of his career as seen in the two sections of the exhibition, and his influence on the generations which followed.
Includes two lectures with Q&A and a short break. Tickets £20. To book for Part One please click here.
Part Two: Influence
Fra Angelico, Trittico francescano (detail), 1428-1429. Museum of San Marco.
Lecture Three — At home in San Marco
San Marco was just one of the ‘homes’ of the Dominicans in Florence – but the order only moved there in the 1430s: Fra Angelico was one of those who first occupied the premises. As part of the rebuilding and redecoration of the premises, he not only painted the San Marco Altarpiece for the for the high altar of the church – one of his most significant works – but also all of the cells occupied by the Friars, together with other communal spaces of the Friary. We look at these ‘decorations’ in detail, one of the true splendours of the Early Renaissance, and the reason why only Florence could host a real tribute to the artist.
Lecture Four — Students and Successors
Some of members of the workshop involved in the decoration of San Marco would have followed Fra Angelico to Orvieto and Rome. We look at the later works produced by the master himself, and also at paintings by artists such as Benozzo Gozzoli and Zanobi Strozzi who were his true heirs. However, later Dominicans also became the ‘official artists’ of the Dominican order, and we also consider their work. These include Fra Bartolomeo and Suor Plautilla Nelli, the most active of Florence’s 16th century women artists whose work is still sadly little known.
This course will be recorded. Ticket holders are emailed a link to view the recording afterwards which is available for one month. Proceeds from ARTscapades ticket sales benefit museums, galleries and other arts-based organisations and projects.
This is an online event hosted on Zoom which can be watched live with Q&A, or on-demand for one month afterwards. You will receive your link to access the event in your email confirmation and the on-demand link after the event ends.