"This father, truly angelic, spent all his life in the service of God and for the good of the world and his neighbor. In truth, the great and extraordinary powers possessed by Fra Giovanni could not have existed except in a man of most holy life. He was a man of simplicity and most holy in his ways.... He withheld himself from all worldly deeds, and living purely and holily, he was such a friend to the poor that I think his soul is now in heaven.
"He worked continually at his pictures and would never treat any but religious subjects. He might have been a rich man but he cared not to boast, and used to say that true riches consisted in being content with little. He might have had command over many but would not, saying that there was less trouble and risk in obeying than in commanding.... He was most gentle and sober, and, living chastely, freed himself from the snares of the world; and he was wont to say that whoever followed art had need of peace and to live without distracting thoughts, and that he who does work that concerns Christ must live continually with Christ.
"He was never known to get angry with the monks; if anyone desired work from him he would say that he would obtain consent of the Prior to it, and then would not fail to fulfill the request. In fact, this father, who cannot be sufficiently praised, was in all his works and conversation most humble and modest, and in his painting dexterous and conscientious, and the saints of his painting have more the air and resemblance of saints than those of any other painter."
| SUBJECTS FOR COMPOSITION AND SPECIAL TOPICS. | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Angels in Art. | |
| 2. | Savonarola, the Orator of San Marco. | |
| 3. | Antonio, the Good Archbishop of Florence. | |
| 4. | The Angel-Painter of San Marco. | |
| 5. | An Illuminated Manuscript. | |
| 6. | With Angelico on His Way to Rome. | |
| 7. | In the Cells of San Marco. | |
| 8. | How Monasteries Have Served Civilization. | |
| 9. | A Day with the Dominicans at Fiesole. | |
| 10. | Some Hill Towns of Tuscany. | |
| 11. | Two Gothic Cathedrals of Italy. (Siena and Orvieto,) | |
| REFERENCES FOR FRA ANGELICO. | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Life of Fra Angelico | Sweetser. |
| 2. | Life of Fra Angelico | Phillimor. |
| 3. | Makers of Florence | Oliphant. |
| 4. | Sketches and Studios in Southern Europe. (Orvieto) | Symonds. |
| 5. | The Fine Arts | Symonds. |
| 6. | Old Italian Masters | Cole. |
| 7. | Friar Jerome's Beautiful Book | Aldrich. |
| 8. | Art and Artists | Clement. |
| 9. | Angels in Art | Clement. |
| 10. | The Monk as Civilizer | Kingsley. |