3rd-6th Grade Art~ Week 3

This week in art, the Dominicans and Franciscans learned about the famous artist, Saint Fra Angelico.

Fra Angelico was born Guido Di Pietro around 1395. Very little is known about his early life. He joined the Dominican Order on October 17, 1417. He was initially was trained to be an illuminator. He later worked on frescoes. He painted frescoes for the monk's cells  in San Marcos, Italy.

The Transfiguration 

Pope Eugenius IV asked him to paint frescoes in the Vatican. He painted frescoes in the Chapel of the Holy Sacraments in St. Peter's. Unfortunately, Pope Paul III demolished them.
He later painted frescoes for the Niccoline Chapel for Pope Nicholas V. The small chapel is filled with brightly colored frescoes walls with gold leaf. It is said to look like a jeweled box. Fra Angelico used gold leaf in his paintings. He would place gold halos around the angels, Mary, Jesus, and the saints. He would accent certain areas of the paintings.

The Virgin of the Annunciation

San Marco Altarpiece

The Crucified Christ

Fra Angelico is considered one of the greatest early Renaissance painters. It has said he has "a rare and perfect talent." On Italy, he is called il Beato Angelico which means "Blessed Angelic One."

He died on February 18, 1455. He is buried in the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva

Pope John Paul II beatified Fra Angelico on October 3, 1982. He is the patron saint for Catholic artists!

The Dominicans created artwork using tin foil to recreate the gold leaf effect.

The students used paint and tinfoil to create their masterpieces. 

The Franciscans started on their drawings this week. They will add paint and gold leaf to their paintings the next c-op meeting.