Fra Angelico

1400 - 1455

Fra Angelico was born near Florence and named Guido di Piero. When he became a Dominican friar in his early twenties, he took the name Fra Giovanni, meaning Brother John. By then, he was already an accomplished artist. At his friary, he created a workshop for the production of paintings on every scale, from miniatures to ornate altarpieces. It is said Fra Angelico left his works just as he first painted them, never going back to retouch or repaint, because he believed his brushstrokes were guided by God. After he died, people called him Fra Angelico because both his life and his art were so angelic.