Fra Angelico was both a Dominican friar as well as a talented painter. His most famous frescoes can be found in the monastery of San Marco throughout the small rooms. A very popular piece that all the monks would see everytime they walked up the stairs to their sleeping chambers was Fra Angelico’s The Annunciation.

There are only two figures in this painting, which lacks all the other symbols that are usually included in an Annunciation piece. On the left is the angel Gabriel, who has come to Mary to deliver the message that she will be the mother of Jesus. The angel is wearing a simple pink robe, but has a pair of beautiful, colorful wings. Mary can be seen on the right side of the painting in the same colors that monks were painted in, sitting …show more content…
It lacks all the inctricate designs and symbols in his piece in Madrid, but perhaps this was done on purpose to coincide with the simplistic life of a monk. Another painting that added more detail to the clothing, symbolism and landscape is Botticelli’s Cestello Annunciation. He used bright colors in his portrayal, and painted more movement compared to the calmness in Fra Angelico’s fresco.

What makes Fra Angelico’s painting so brilliant is the fact that it is so simplistic, yet still full of lessons. By viewing this painting everytime they walked up the stairs, the monks would constantly reflect on the specific event. Fra Angelico’s painting was a constant teaching and reminder that the monks should continue every day with the same obedience and acceptance as Mary.
Marco Benefial’s Massacre of the Innocents
The Uffizi Gallery, …show more content…
Women in art are often shown as being calm, collected, and passive. However, some artists choose to incorporate women with characteristics that we would correlate to the modern day female. The women in the painting are not allowing King Herod’s orders to be followed with ease. They are using all their strength and courage to try and protect what is theirs. This oil on canvas shows the untold story of all the women who were not willing to stand by and lose their loved ones, but who chose to follow their motherly instincts and do whatever it takes to protect their