Fra Angelico Crucifixion And Saints Analysis

Fra Angelico would never start a painting without a prayer and could not paint a Crucifixion without tears running down his cheeks. Yet, even in circumstances when the theme is one of death and bloodshed, Fra Angelico tells the tale with “such a naïve sincerity and rare beauty of expression” that the audience forgets the horror of the scene and rather focuses on the martyr’s triumph.
Cartwright considers the “Crucifixion and Saints” as one of the most impressive paintings in the world. Instead of representing the historical approach of Christ on the cross, Fra Angelico chose to illustrate a sacred mystery of the devout contemplation of the Christian believer. Correspondingly, the addition of multiple Florentine saints in either kneeled or leaning positions expresses the sincere worship felt by Fra Angelico himself and his fellow monks towards Christ. Fra Angelico left out any drop of dramatism from this fresco as he tried to set forth every phase of devotion and a silent passion of love. Although Fra Angelico’s love towards Christ was immense, Christ’s body looks a little …show more content…
Lawrence and St. Stephen in the Chapel of Nicolas V in Vatican. Fra Angelico painted these frescoes when he was over sixty years old, and the characteristics that he exerted were unmet before. Cartwright suggested that these frescoes revealed an extraordinary advance in Fra Angelico’s freedom and dramatic power. These frescoes are not atypical to Fra Angelico’s previous works of art, however, they evoke the progress of Fra Angelico’s capabilities over the years. The Vatican frescoes depict a superior development and an exceptional expression of his virtues that he was striving for all these years. The most remarkable frescoes in the chapel are “The Sermon of St. Stephen,” “The Martyrdom of Stephen,” and “The Stoning of