Fra Angelico - Brook Mesenbrink: Art, Lessons & …...Fra Angelico lived from 1395-1455 and painted...
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www.artfortheclassicalchild.weebly.com © 2016 by Brook Mesenbrink Fra Angelico “He who does Christ’s work must stay with Christ always.” Fra Angelico While Ghiberti was designing the doors for the Florence Baptistery, another young artist named Guido di Pietro and his younger brother, Benedetto, began their training as manuscript illuminators in Fiesole, Tuscany, where they both devoted their lives entire- ly to the Lord by becom- ing Dominican Friars in 1407. Since 400 A.D. illuminated manuscripts were books hand made by monks to copy and preserve the Bible and other important writings. e letters are written in fancy calligraphy and the story illustrations are highly decorated with sil- ver and gold leaf. Gold leaf is a thin sheet of real gold and applied in small pieces onto a painting. Sometimes they were stamped with patterned designs after they were burnished. Guido was influenced by other artists from Italy and he incorpo- rated some new features in his illustrations. e people looked more real- istic by depicting shadows in the clothing and the letter forms contained elements from nature. Guido took his artwork very seriously.To him it was an act of devotion to God. He was known to pray before he began every work of art. And he became famous for saying, “He who does Christ’s work must stay with Christ always.” Be- cause of his humble piety, he was nicknamed Fra Giovanni Angelico, which means Angelic Brother John. Glorification of St. Dominic, Fra Angelico, Illuminated Manuscript, Wikiart Public Domain.
Transcript of Fra Angelico - Brook Mesenbrink: Art, Lessons & …...Fra Angelico lived from 1395-1455 and painted...
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Fra Angelico
“He who does Christ’s work must stay with Christ always.”FraAngelico
WhileGhibertiwasdesigningthedoorsfortheFlorenceBaptistery,anotheryoungartistnamedGuidodiPietroandhisyoungerbrother,Benedetto,begantheirtrainingasmanuscriptilluminatorsinFiesole,Tuscany,wheretheybothdevotedtheirlivesentire-lytotheLordbybecom-ingDominicanFriarsin1407.Since400A.D.illuminatedmanuscriptswerebookshandmadebymonkstocopyandpreservetheBibleandotherimportantwritings.Thelettersarewritteninfancycalligraphyandthestoryillustrationsarehighlydecoratedwithsil-verandgoldleaf.Goldleafisathinsheetofrealgoldandappliedinsmallpiecesontoapainting.Sometimestheywere
stampedwithpatterneddesignsaftertheywereburnished.GuidowasinfluencedbyotherartistsfromItalyandheincorpo-
ratedsomenewfeaturesinhisillustrations.Thepeoplelookedmorereal-isticbydepictingshadowsintheclothingandtheletterformscontainedelementsfromnature. Guidotookhisartworkveryseriously.TohimitwasanactofdevotiontoGod.Hewasknowntopraybeforehebeganeveryworkofart.Andhebecamefamousforsaying,“HewhodoesChrist’sworkmuststaywithChristalways.”Be-causeofhishumblepiety,
hewasnicknamedFraGiovanniAngelico,whichmeansAngelicBrotherJohn.
Glorification of St. Dominic, FraAngelico,IlluminatedManuscript,WikiartPublicDomain.
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San Marco Church and Convent
In1436,FraAngelicomovedtothemon-asteryinSanMarco,Florence.CosimoMedici,theSignoraofFlorence,urgedAngelicotopaintfrescosonthemonastery’swalls.TheMedicifamilywasverywealthyandpaidartistswelltopaintandsculpt.AngelicowascompelledtofillthewallsofthemonasterywithpassionateillustrationsofJesus’slife.In1439hecompletedthealtarpiece.Analtarpieceisalargeartworkplacedinthefrontofthechapel.Ithelpssetthemoodforworshipandhasastagelikesetting.Usually,thefiguresarelifesizedandthereismuchgoldcoveringdifferentpartsoftheartpiece.Inadditiontogold,artistsusedex-pensivepaintsmadefromlapislazuliandvermilion,whicharedeep,brilliantblueandred-orangecolors. Thewealthypatronswhocommissionedthealtarpiece,displayedtheirwealthtoworshippersbytheamountofgoldthatwasused.OneofthemostpopularthemesforanaltarpiecewastheMa-donnaandChild,(theVirginMotherMaryandChristChild)andtheywereusuallypaintedinaheavenlyarrangement,setapartfromotherfigures.However,FraAngelico’saltarpiecewasuniquebecauseheseatedMaryandbabyJesusinanaturalsettingsurroundedbypeople.Thisbecameknownasthe“SacredConversation”becauseitlookedlikethepeopleinthepaintingwerehavingaconversationwithMary.ThiswasarevolutionarywaytopainttheVirginMotherbecauseitallowedviewerstofeeltheirhumanityaswellastheirdivinityandmanyotherartistscopiedthisstyle.
Angelicopaintedotherfrescoesinthemonasterythatweremeantforprivatedevotion.“Transfiguration”isadevotionalfrescopaintedwithoutanygoldorbrightcolors,butstilldis-playsthepureintensityandreverenceofthesubjectmatter. Afewyearslater,in1445,AngelicotraveledtotheVaticaninRomewherehewasofferedtobeappointedtheArchbishopofFlorence,ahigh-rankingleadershippositionintheCatholicchurch,butherefusedbecauseofhiscommitmenttopresentthegloryofGodthroughhisartwork.WhileinRome,heandhisapprenticespaintedfrescoesintheVaticanchapel.Theycoveredthewallsingoldleafwhichgavethefeelingofbeinginsideofajewelbox. FraAngelicolivedfrom1395-1455andpaintedmanyfres-coesandaltarpiecescontainingdivinesubjectsthatinspiredmanyotherartistsoftheRenaissance.
Madonna and the Saints, San Marco Altarpiece,FraAngelico,temperaonwood,1439.DoverPub.
Transfiguration,FraAngelico,fresco,1440-42.WikiartPublicDomain.
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Take a Closer Look
1.LookatMadonna and the Saints, San Marco Altarpiece,byFraAngelico,1439. •Whatarethemostpopularcolors?(Blueandred-orange.) •AngelicouseslinearperspectivetoemphasizeMary’simportance.Canyoufindthehorizonline,vanishingpointand
orthogonallines(diagonallinesthatleadtothevanishingpoint)?(Seethephotoontherightforanswers) •Thetwomenonthebottomfrontrepresentthedonorsofthepainting.ThemanontheleftisCosimoMedici.Ifyou
drewalinebetweentheheadsofthetwomenandtheheadofMary,whatshapewoulditmake?(Itwouldmakeanequilateraltriangle.ThistrianglearrangementbecamepopularinRenaissancepaintingandsculpturebecauseitshowedsymmetricalbalanceandorder.)
•WhatdoyouthinktheminiaturepaintingofJesusisabout?(Sincethisaltarpiecewasplacedatthefrontofthechurch,wherethepriestspreparedthebreadandwineforcommunion,thepaintingofJesussymbolizestheconsecratedbodyandblood.)
Havestudentslookattheartworkonthefollowingpagesandanswerthesequestions:
2.LookatThe Annunciation,byFraAngelico,1450. •Doyouknowwhatstoryisbeingtoldinthispainting?(TheangelGabrielistellingMarythatshewillbecomepregnant
withGod’sson.) •Thisfrescoisonawallatthetopofastairwayandappearstobelikeawindowlookingoutontoagarden.Angelicoused
thesamearchitecturalfeaturesofthebuildingwhereitislocated.Whatarchitecturalfeaturesdoyousee?(Corinthiancolumns,barrelvaultedceilings,rectangulardoorsandsquarewindows.)
•Howdidhecreatetheillusionofspaceandthreedimensionalforms?(Heusedshadowsintheceilingandfoldsintheclothing.Heattemptedlinearperspective.)
•WhatkindofpersondoesMaryappeartobe?(Humble,reverent,serious,gentle.)
VanishingPoint
OnePointLinearPerspective
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FraAngelico,Madonna and the Saints, San Marco Altarpiece,1439,Temperaonwood.DoverPub.
www.artfortheclassicalchild.weebly.com ©2016byBrookMesenbrink
FraAngelico, The Annunciation,1450,Fresco.LocatedintheSanMarcoConvent.DoverPub.
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Practice Drawing the Madonna and Child
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SuppliesNeeded:whitedrawingpaper9x12,pencil,crayonsoroilpastels,blackconstructionpaper9x12,goldfoilwrap-pingpaperortissuepaper,scissors,gluestick.
Drawwithapencilontowhitedrawingpaperbyfollowingthesteps.Colorwithcrayonoroilpastel.
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Usea3”and4”circletemplatetotraceontogoldtissueorgoldwrappingpaperfoil.Cutoutandglueontoblackconstruc-tionpaperwheretheheadsarepositioned.
Cutoutthecoloreddrawingandglueontopofthegoldcircles.
Alternative:Insteadofusinggoldfoilcirclesandblackconstructionpaper,drawandcolorgoldhalosdirectlyontothewhitepaper.
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7. Connect the two dots on the bottom and top with a horizontal lines. These lines should be parallel with the bot-tom and top edge of the paper.
1. Use an 8 1/2 x 11” piece of paper. Fold one corner over diagonally to create a diagonal fold. Unfold paper.
6. Use a ruler to measure and mark a point along each orthogonal line that is 2 inches from the top and bottom of the paper.
10. Draw Mary and baby Jesus inside.
9. Erase unwanted lines.
8. Connect the dots with two vertical lines. Use a ruler for accuracy. These lines are parallel to the vertical sides of the paper.
2. Fold the opposite corner over diago-nally to create an diagonal fold that crosses the first one. Unfold paper.
3. Fold the extra edge up at the diagonal fold marks. Cut off the bottom rectangle or fold it to the back so it’s unseen. The paper should be a square.
4. Fold the square in half. Unfold paper.
5. Use a ruler to lightly draw lines over the folds. This is the horizon line and orthogonal lines.
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Practice Drawing Linear Perspective
