Fra Angelico Etched the Divine in Stone

"FLORENCE, Italy - As Italy celebrates its largest Fra Angelico retrospective since 1955, at the Palazzo Strozzi and Museo di San Marco, it's easy to overlook the small details in favor of the grandiosity of the art and the feat of bringing it together in one place. But look at the marble surface on which John the Baptist stands in the Perugia Altarpiece. The veiled symbolism of the veined stones has in most major English-language reviews of the exhibition."

"One of the great questions in Fra Angelico studies is how many intricate layers of theological symbolism he wove into his art, gleaned from his erudite studies as a Dominican friar. The theological evolution, ushered in by the Franciscans and Dominicans, demanded new styles to meet new spiritual needs, as scholars including Donal Cooper, Joanna Cannon, and Holly Flora have recently begun to explore. The significance of , and emotional displays are just the tip of the iceberg."

"the Museo di San Marco, as the exhibition's second venue both spotlights the many immovable frescos Fra Angelio painted there for personal devotion in the monk's cells - for instance, the "Mocking of Christ" (1439-41) - and invites attention to the devotional aspects of the works. Yet the curators avoided one of the most hotly contested questions in Fra Angelico studies. Why did the artist go to such great lengths to incorporate marble and stone details into so many of his works?"

Fra Angelico integrated detailed marble and stone imagery across numerous works, embedding layered theological and mystical meanings within veined surfaces and settings. The veined marble in the Perugia Altarpiece and other panels signals symbolic depth tied to Dominican erudition and Franciscan-Dominican spiritual reforms. The Museo di San Marco venue underscores devotional frescoes painted for monastic cells and highlights the personal, contemplative functions of the works. Contemporary scholars are investigating how evolving theological needs prompted new visual styles and emotional expression. Curatorial choices at the retrospective left unresolved why marble and stone motifs recur so frequently and meticulously.

Read at Hyperallergic