The Dormition of the Virgin
by
Fra Angelico
(born Guido di Pietro, aka Giovanni da Fiesole)
Painter and Dominican Friar
Fra Angelico, one of my favorite painters, was declared the patron saint of Catholic painters in 1984 by Pope John Paul II. He had a lifestyle that may be the envy of most religious painters, as his was a blessed balance between traditional conventual religious life and the spirituality of fine art!He was called the "Angelic Friar" (which, in Italian, is "Fra Angelico") and of the several names by which he was known, this is the one that "stuck." He was given this name because his paintings were angelic and depicted calm, illuminated religious subjects, while he himself was exceedingly pious.
The History of Saint Nicholas
by
Fra Angelico
I have met and read about a number of spiritual personalities who were also deeply spiritual and talented artists. There is something about the enclosed life of contemplation that attracts the heart of the artist with a mystical bent. I was also attracted to it, but came too late to the Catholic faith to be of any use to a convent. Instead, this is exactly the lifestyle I have adopted at home, as a disabled lady, though I can't pretend to come anywhere close to this artist's talent! Obviously, I am not dead yet, so we will see how I proceed with my novels and my paintings.
The Deposition of Christ
by
Fra Angelico
Fra Angelico is obviously very famous and there is quite a lot written about him. His frescoes still contribute to the holy atmosphere of the monastery, and many paintings can be viewed in museums. The largest collection is at the San Marco Museum in Florence, Italy.
Fra Angelico began as an illustrator of missals and religious books sometime around 1418 when he entered a Dominican convent in Fiesole, Italy. After some time, Pope Eugenius IV summoned him to paint some frescoes for the Chapel of the Sacrament at the Vatican that is now, unfortunately, destroyed. Other frescoes were painted at the behest of one Pope or another, usually by his assistants, copying or filling-in his original designs.
For about three years, he served as the administrative head ("Prior") of the Convent in Fiesole - a job I imagine he would not have enjoyed. Artists are typically uninterested in business and the organization of life. Their souls are usually occupied with The Divine. I don't know why it was such a short time, but perhaps that was the practice at that convent - to keep the duration of office short for the sake of the soul and to keep the person humble. If I can find the time, I will dig into it and learn more about that time period (1449-1452.) (By the way, "convents" are usually insitutions peopled by women in the modern West, and Monasteires are usually for men. Different times and countries used those terms in different fashion.)
Much is written about Fra Agenlico on the internet and elsewhere. I am willing to bet there are some stunning "coffee table books" of his work, so I won't reinvent the wheel and go into too much more of his life. I would just like to say a little about the place of the artist and art, in general, with respect to religious life.
In 2012, the DIAKONIA OF BEAUTY was founded to encourage an "exchange between artists and the Church." It offers education, prayer, and spiritual and economic support to members. Membership consists of musicians, poets, singers, painters, architects, sculptors, actors and dancers."
"Artistic creation completes, in a certain sense,
the beauty of creation..."
Pope Francis
Divine love is the origin of the artistic gift - that impulse to bring into the world a thing of beauty, in imitation of and perhaps in concert with The Divine, and "authentic art" can "speak eloquently of the beauty and goodness of God." (Pope Francis.)
With Pople John Paul II, Pope Francis said that art must "make perceptible, and as far as possible attractive, the world of the spirit, of the invisible, of God."
The Ascension
I have found a couple articles about the Diakonia, and I offer them, below, for anyone who has interest:
My personal theory is that when a person is born with a natural creative talent, this is not only a gift from God, but a message to the person. That gift is meant to be used for the Glory of God and His people. For me, art is a type of bridge of communication between the soul and the Divine that can be witnessed, appreciated and admired by onlookers. It is communication in solid form.
As a creative person, I have seen what happens when I try to take as vocation a different path than ART. It does not work very well, Certainly, I was able to take various office jobs to support myself, but I would not say that I was terribly successful in it. It was what I needed to do to support myself, i.e., put a roof over my head and food on the table. But it did nothing for my soul or anyone else's!
However, it occurs to me now as I write this that God's timing is perfect because, when I was younger, I doubt I had much of anything inspiring to contribute to the world, with either my paintings or my writing.
The Annunciation
I was born into an anti-religious family of poor moral character, except for my beloved Grandmother who wasn't a saint, but was a very good woman, as far as I was concerned. She was opposed to organized religion, however, and she always used to say that "all you need is the golden rule." The golden rule is fine, for as much as it speaks about our treatment of others, but it is missing a great deal as the sum total of one's personal philosophy of life. My mother, with whom I lived, absolutely hated Catholics. She eventually became a Jehovah's Witness.
My parents were hostile to religion and I was prohibited from continuing my communication with some Carmelite nuns I had discovered in the town where we were living for a while. After leaving home during the "hippie era," it took me a long time to "catch up" with the cradle Catholics, having cycled through other religions before taking it up again.
I have long ago forgiven my parents for the awful childhood they gave me, so there are no worries on that score, but, coming from this family, it was natural that, upon leaving home at age 17, I would start making a lot of mistakes, wandering here and there. I did not know how to "do" life. I did not have a clear picture of what I wanted because, rather than running toward something, I was running away from those people.
Christ Glorified in the Court of Heaven
by
Fra Angelico
My journey to Catholicism took a circuitous route, the details of which are not terribly interesting, except that it is important to note that, by the time I became disabled and had to retire on my small Social Security pension, I had seen a lot of the world, had many experiences, spent a lot of time in prayer and reflection, and was finally prepared to contribute art worthy of its Divine purpose, inspired by and infused with The Holy Spirit. Perfect timing.
There is no guarantee that the result will be a masterpiece. I can only pray for The Lord's assistance and apply myself the best I can.
Art is more than something pretty to look at. In 2018, Pope Francis met with a group of two dozen or so artists from around the world, leaders from the Diakonia of Beauty, and he told them, "the gifts that you have received are, for each of you, a responsibility and a mission." In this meeting, his aim was to ask them to help communicate the beauty of transcendence through their artistic language.
Everyone has a vocation, and those of us who are artists have a role as mediators between heaven and earth. Instead of searching for "vainglory or easy popularity, or the "petty calculus of personal profit," we must be dominated by the Divine consciousness.
Coronation of the Virgin
by
Fra Angelico
I hope that this post inspires you to remain true to your Divine Mission and vocation, whatever that is, in artistic or other realms, because it is through this world that we express our gifts and return them as tribute to our Maker.
God bless us all!
Silver Rose
P.S. I have gone mostly blind in the left eye, with unreliable vision in the right, so if you happen to see a typo here and there, please do not hold it against me, but I WILL appreciate it if you would shoot me a message when you find a typo and tell me about it so I can go in and change it. I will be SO grateful if you would! Thanks so much.
Also, please do not forget that I am working very hard to finish my novel, and I need some research materials, mostly consisting of prize-winning books published last year that give me a picture of what is happening with modern literature at the moment. In addition, inflation has hit me hard when it comes to putting groceries in the cupboards, so if you could donate to my Paypal link, above right, I would be most grateful.
Anyway, Amazon has my address and can mail the items direct to me from my wish list. Help me to help myself, won't you, even if it is just a book or two from the list? Here is the link:
Lovely! Thanks for this. One of my goals is to become more educated about art. This is a good starting point.
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