Most of the friars of Fiesole found refuge in the neighboring Dominican convent of Foligno where they stayed until 1414, when an outbreak of plague forced them to flee again, this time reestablishing themselves in Cortona. It is, nevertheless, possible that the Friars Petri del Mugello went to Cortona not long after taking their vows in order to study philosophy and theology with the other young monks (including Fra Antoninus), in preparation to be ordained as priests. Nothing is known of their stay in Cortona during this period, but it is probable that they lived there, with short interruptions, during the eleven years from 1407 to 1418. Fra Benedetto pursued his studies in theology and philosophy further than Giovanni, and his progress allowed him to become a long-standing sub prior in Florence, which, according to the rules of the Order, was only possible for theologians and preachers of merit. His elder brother, Giovanni, followed the desires of his superiors and did not dwell long on his studies. His undeniable talent allowed him to be admitted to the priesthood after a short period of preparation, after which he consecrated himself entirely to art. This must have met with little opposition, given that Dominici was a great admirer of painting. Dominici’s letters reveal that he not only wrote beautiful books, ornamenting the initial letters, but that he encouraged the monks of Corpus Domini in Venice to create and paint manuscripts. In his eyes, the arts and sciences were effective means of seeking and spreading the Faith. It was with his paintbrush that Fra Angelico was to preach the truth, as other Dominicans would do with their quills, or from the heights of their pulpits. The exile from Florence was, in reality, a providential blessing. In Florence, with its community of artists branching off in new directions, it is doubtful that the young monk would have so firmly maintained and developed the serious and pious tendencies that corresponded with the aspirations of his soul. His exile led him to one of Italy’s most conservative religious centres. He lived between Siena and Assisi, about sixty kilometres from both of these towns. The road to Assisi passed through Perugia, and a visit to this town, with its many Dominican establishments, would have been simple. Angelico doubtlessly visited and revisited Siena, whose churches and monuments were resplendent with examples of the city’s admirable school of painting. At the gates of the city, suggestive frescoes greeted the wandering monk. Who better than Angelico was prepared by the aspirations of his soul to contemplate and venerate this serious and powerful Virgin, the “Madonna of the Large Eyes,” (La Maestà) which a century before (1310) was carried in a solemn procession to the cathedral where she shone ever after on the main altar? Today, this grandiose painting has unfortunately been moved from the cathedral to the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo. In it, Duccio di Buoninsegna combined the accumulated achievements of the painters and miniaturists of Italy and the Byzantine Empire. On the front of the altarpiece appears Mary, majestic upon her throne, holding the Holy Infant, surrounded by twenty angels and the figures of ten saints. Half-length paintings of the apostles were framed by the niches of the altar’s predella and are today placed above the principal painting.[5]
7. The Flight into Egypt (one of 35 paintings for the Silver Treasury of Santissima Annunziata), c. 1450. Tempera on wood panel, 39 × 39 cm. Museo di San Marco, Florence.
The reverse side of this altarpiece presents twenty scenes from the Passion and the Resurrection of Christ, as well as eighteen scenes from the lives of Jesus and Mary in the predella. Though the influence of tradition and the imitation of Greek artists is noticeable in many of the individual scenes, the altarpiece as a whole is treated with true liberty and shows a markedly Italian influence. The eight angels that immediately surround the Virgin’s throne, lean in and contemplate the holy Child at the centre of the composition with indulgence, abandon, and love. They are no longer the solemn and respectful Byzantine attendants to the throne, but are rather the friends and intimate companions of the Lord and his Holy Mother.
This painting was of great importance to Fra Giovanni, because it shows so many scenes from the life of Christ and Mary, and because it is entirely penetrated by traditional ideas and techniques. In the same way that the best ancient Greek and Roman artists won renown by perfecting and ennobling long-consecrated and generally admitted types, the best Italian artists of the fifteenth century still remained faithful to the fundamental forms of traditional iconography. It was not that they wanted to strictly follow established concepts, but rather that they did not readily break from these traditions without serious motives and consideration. It was only the artists of the sixteenth century that wished to do away with the old forms in a destructive outburst of unmeasured individualism. It is important to study how Fra Angelico assimilated traditional techniques, to what degree he transformed them, and to know how these changes were related to his character and the proposed purpose of his works. He clearly studied the most significant paintings of Duccio, and was influenced by them when he painted the same subjects, though he never copied Duccio slavishly.
Though Fra Angelico might have examined the mature work of Duccio with deference, he probably preferred the large fresco Simone Martini painted for Siena’s Palazzo Pubblico in 1317 (Maestà). Here again the enthroned Virgin is surrounded by angels and saints, yet the painting breathes with more freshness and freedom. Angelico would have been less attracted to the Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s famous allegories in the same building. Angelico was probably not charmed by works of this nature, where speculation seeks to ally itself with emotional fantasy. But he certainly must have admired the still powerful frescoes representing the Death of Mary, her Funeral and her Assumption, that Taddeo di Bartolo had recently finished in the proud Palace of the Republic.
A painting currently held in Munich and attributed to Bartolo (circa 1401), shows the Assumption of the Holy Virgin (The Assumption). It contains elements that would be seen later in Fra Angelico’s paintings of the Coronation of Mary. A choir of angels singing and playing various musical instruments surrounds the Virgin, while other celestial messengers sound long trumpets in a call to rejoice.
The pleasant and graceful Coronation of Mary in Siena’s town hall, which now most brings to mind Fra Angelico’s work, was painted in 1445 by Sano di Pietro, and did not exist at the time of Fra Angelico’s visit. Sano di Pietro, born in 1406 († 1481), was an only child at the time, and could not have had any contact with Fra Giovanni. If Angelico was probably taken by the works of Simone Martini, he also would have warmed at the sight of Pietro’s paintings depicting the life of Saint Martin at the Church of San Francesco of Assisi. Yet for Angelico, as for all of the church’s visitors, these paintings would have paled in comparison to the masterpieces of Giotto. Giotto’s works prove that it is not the number of motifs that creates a positive effect, but rather, the clear thoughts presented with a limited means of expression. Giotto’s compositions would have confirmed the tastes of an artist in search of precise lines, pure colours, and clear thoughts.
8. Taddeo di Bartolo, The Assumption (triptych), 1401. Tempera on wood panel, 420 × 525 cm. Duomo, Montepulciano.
9. Ottaviano Nelli di Martino, Madonna del Belvedere, 1404. Tempera on stone. Santa Maria Nuova, Gubbio.
10. The Virgin and Child Enthroned with Four Angels (central panel of Guidalotti polyptych), c. 1437. Tempera on wood panel, 130 × 77 cm. Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria, Perugia.
Not far from Cortona can be found the town of Gubbio, where in 1404, Ottaviano Nelli († 1414) had just painted the fresco, Madonna del Belvedere. All of Fra Giovanni’s favorite hues are already found here. Behind the enthroned Mother of God hover two angels holding a robe of honour. Above them, God, the Holy Father, is surrounded by a glory of angels holding the crown destined for Mary’s head. On each side at the bottom of the painting stands a tall angel, one with a lute, one with a violin. In the upper reaches, two small angels play the organ and harp. Mary’s feet rest on a round cushion, and she holds the Child, who rests on her right knee, in both hands. She leans devotedly toward him, asking for the benediction of the donor’s wife, kneeling to the right. An angel with the same attitude seems to commend the donor’s wife to
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