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Fra Angelico at San Marco [Hardcover]

Professor William Hood (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

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From Library Journal

Sponsored by the Medici, Fra Angelico's paintings for the priory of San Marco are among the foremost monuments in early Renaissance Florence. This extraordinary cycle, though stylistically au courant, emerges out of a tradition of sacred subject matter favored by the artist's Observant Dominican order. Hood's masterful study persuasively reconstructs the link between the paintings and the institutional spirituality articulated in the order's liturgical habits and literary traditions. While rejecting the notion of a unified iconographic program, the author ably demonstrates the formal and didactic intentions that underlie Angelico's artistic and intellectual choices. Hood's profound understanding of the Observants' religious mentality and its committed expression in the artist's work are complemented by a comprehensive grasp of the art historical context and a keen ability to articulate the paintings' nuances of style. An exquisite corpus of reproductions further enhances an exemplary scholarly labor. Highly recommend ed.
- Robert Cahn, Fashion Inst. of Technology, New York
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Book Description

Fra Angelico's fresco paintings at the Dominican priory of San Marco are among the best-loved works of Italian art, yet they have been oddly neglected by art historians. In this book, William Hood analyzes the newly cleaned frescoes at San Marco, setting them against the background of 15th-century Florentine artistic, political, cultural, and religious history. Hood discusses the ideals, daily rituals, and pictorial traditions of the Dominican order - especially the reformed or Observant branch to which Fra Angelico belonged. He presents new material on traditions of religious art, altarpiece design and imagery, and the decoration of chapter rooms and cloisters. Hood compares Angelico's work at San Marco to earlier Dominican altarpieces and to Angelico's other alterpieces for Dominican buildings in Siena, Pisa, Prato, and Florence, pointing out both the traditional elements and the novelty of the San Marco altarpiece. Similarly, by comparing San Marco to other Florentine fresco cycles, he illuminates the originality of the cloister and chapter-house of San Marco. Hood's discussion of San Marco follows and itinerary through the church and adjoining convent buildings, beginning with the high altarpiece and ending with the corridor paintings - especially the exquisite "Annunciation" in the dormitory corridor. Throughout, he analyzes Angelico's use of colour, his technique in fresco and tempera, the way he solved specific visual problems and how his paintings affected 15th-century viewers.

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4.0 out of 5 stars San Marco a Beautiful Place, Oct 24 2000
This review is from: Fra Angelico at San Marco (Hardcover)
William Hood's Fra Angelico at San Marco is one of the best books written on this important period of art. It is comprehenisve, well-illustrated and entertaining, it is also a model of clarity and scholarly precision. There are many painting and sculptures that are beautiful to see. The book has captured the beautiful works of Fra Angelico. William Hood writes with authority and eloquence. He illustrates the architecute and painting of San Marco with a burst of creativity. Beautiful illustration, fine writing and authoritative scholarship bring into focus all the elements of this beautiful book.
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Amazon.com: 4.7 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars San Marco a Beautiful Place, Oct 24 2000
By "angel2jtdg" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Fra Angelico at San Marco (Hardcover)
William Hood's Fra Angelico at San Marco is one of the best books written on this important period of art. It is comprehenisve, well-illustrated and entertaining, it is also a model of clarity and scholarly precision. There are many painting and sculptures that are beautiful to see. The book has captured the beautiful works of Fra Angelico. William Hood writes with authority and eloquence. He illustrates the architecute and painting of San Marco with a burst of creativity. Beautiful illustration, fine writing and authoritative scholarship bring into focus all the elements of this beautiful book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Fra Angelico at San Marco, May 14 2011
By Mr. John F. Wilks - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Fra Angelico at San Marco (Hardcover)
My review of this book is simple - it is an undiluted treasure for lovers of art, history and culture. It would be one of the books I would place in a time capsules so that generations of people in 100 or 1,000 years time will still be able to enjoy the marriage of spirituality and art expressed in their highest forms.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Fra Angelico at San Marco, Mar 18 2011
By ccondesa - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Fra Angelico at San Marco (Hardcover)
The definitive work on Fra Angelico, this book is the result of 13 years of research. It is authoritative but not intimidating. Professor Hood writes in plain English rather than the obscure language usually found in scholarly art history books.

Hood explores the traditions of the Observant Dominican order which directly informed Fra Angelico's art.One is introduced to the life of the monks. It is interesting to follow them through their daily routine and see how they would have encountered Fra Angelico's art and the role it played in their lives.

Those who have visited the Convento San Marco can attest to its calm atmosphere. Even in the midst of the hustle of modern day Florence, one senses the peace within its walls. It is the perfect place to view Fra Angelico's frescoes which adorn the walls of each monk's cell. One is struck by the seeming simplicity of each fresco and the almost translucent appearance of the figures which are painted in what is usually thought to be an opaque medium. The translucent quality and the lightness of the figures is evident in the color photographs. Perhaps this quality has something to do with the fact that it is an older book and the photographs benefit rather than suffer from the lack of the latest digital technology. It is a beautiful book.

There is an interesting section in which Hood briefly describes the manner by which Fra Angelico gave his figures dimension and how it differs from other artists of the same period. Most artists used a technique called chiaroscuro to shade their figures to give them dimension. Fra Angelico did not add black to his pigments but rather he used complimentary colors to achieve the same effect. The resulting clear colors are one of the hallmarks of his work.

If you are planning a trip to Florence and wish to visit the Convent of San Marco, you may be interested in going to audible.com and downloading the following to your iPod. Fra Angelico: San Marco, Audio Guide to San Marco in Florence and Its Remarkable Fresco Cycle (Jane's Smart Art Guides)
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