Fra Angelico : The selfless artist

By Self-photographed Gleb Simonov, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=147450147

Many people ask me who my favourite artist is. It’s a common question that I get. People are usually quite surprised when I tell them that I don’t have a favourite artist. I know that seems strange, but it is the truth!

Often, when I investigate an artist’s work, I’m curious about their personal life. An artist’s morals, values and outlook have a deep impact on their work. When I look at a painting, it’s not just about the texture, light, subject matter and treatment. It’s about what is in an artist’s soul. In my last blog post, I spoke about how artistic expression began with looking upward, then gradually moved outward, and finally turned completely inward. In this blog post, I thought I would reflect upon an artist whose artistic expression is one of the greatest examples of looking upward.

A humble Dominican friar named Fra Giovanni da Fiesole, better known as Fra Angelico, is one of the most renowned painters of the early Renaissance. His self-expression as an artist was, well, completely selfless. It’s no wonder! Fra Angelico was originally trained as a manuscript illuminator. The process of illuminating a manuscript in the Middle Ages was a deeply meditative practice that fully connected the illuminator with his subject matter: the Bible. Since the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, that, by default, has the illuminator projecting upward to the highest form of all selfless artistic expression - honouring Christ Himself.

Fra Angelico went from manuscript illumination to painting frescoes. This gave Fra Angelico a far larger canvas to work on, paving the way for some of the most recognizable art of the Early Renaissance period. The Annunciation (c.1440-1445), commissioned by Cosimo de’Medici for the Convent of San Marco, is one of the greatest of Fra Angelico’s works. The image depicts the angel Gabriel declaring to the Virgin Mary that she will conceive the Son of God by the Holy Ghost. The captivating image is not only a sincere labour of love and devotion but also a reminder of the honour Catholics owe to the Mother of God.  If you look closely, there is an inscription underneath the angel Gabriel and the Virgin Mary, reminding those who see it to pray the Ave Maria (Hail Mary).

It’s rare to see fine art made today that shows this magnificent combination of beauty and reverence. It isn’t just Fra Angelico’s skill as an artist that attracts me to his work. It’s his sense of abandonment to something greater than himself. I’m in awe of his humility and surrender. While Fra Angelico has a particular style of painting, it doesn’t override the message that he is sharing, making the true author of his work known. As a friar, he understood the importance of stepping aside and letting Christ work through him. It’s something that I strive to do more and more in my painting.

Who is your favourite artist, or do you even have one? Your thoughts are welcome! Thank you for reading.

Oh, and in case you are wondering, none of my blog posts are AI-generated. I firmly believe that we need to preserve our creative dignity as humans!