Painter of Light: Fra Angelico a. History ad Interpretive Analysis of Selected Frescoes of San Marco

The Museum of San Marco in Florence, Italy, is renowned for the works of Fra Angelico (1395 - 1455) and for the pervasive history of the Dominican Order. The presence of the extraordinary fresco cycle (1437 - 1441) in the dormitory cells on the upper floor by the great friar-artist makes it a sanctuary for Fra Angelico’s art, and transforms the convent into one of the most important sites for early Renaissance painting. In this examination of Fra Angelico’s frescoes at San Marco, there is a specific emphasis on his unique use of light in his painting, encompassing three identifiable means: real light, painted light and spiritual light. The aura of light that has long been connected with spirituality and the biblical scenes painted by Fra Angelico, demonstrate this luminous quality in nearly every scene he produced in the frescoes created for his fellow residents at the convent. Fra Angelico expresses divine admiration and love for his Creator by ‘enlightening’ his painting.