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.
- Robert Cahn, Fashion Inst. of Technology, New York
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
