Was born in Vicchio towards the end of the XIVth century (1387). His real name was Guido di Pietro but upon entering the convent of Fiesole, he changed his name to Giovanni di Fiesole, or simply “Angelico”. Part of the time he spent in the convent was shared with his brother, Benito, who was also a friar. He was not interested in becoming rich as he thought that the real wealth in life consisted in being happy. He assured people that his only concern was to become closer to Paradise and thus farther away from Hell. He was a measured and very honest man, and was able to find the time to dedicate himself to painting, finding in it the necessary serenity that he required in order to paint. He constantly preached to people that they should dedicate their lives to Christ. In order to place a commission for a work of art it was necessary to speak to his Prior, and never directly to him. In his paintings he shows himself to be a devout, humble and modest person. His angels convey an atmosphere of tranquility and adoration. A characteristic of Fra Angelico, according to his contemporaries, was that he never started any work of art without previously praying to the Lord. His paintings depict the story of the life of the Virgin Mary surrounded by angels, as well as the Crucifixion of Jesus. He decorated many Churches of Florence with enchantingly pious figures. In 1436, the Dominicans moved from the convent in Fiesole to that of San Marcos in Florence, where Fra Angelico painted numerous frescoes, as part of the tradition of the Dominicans who wanted their churches decorated only with paintings. His fame as a painter became well established, but it is a mystery who his teachers were. As with all places of religious congregation, austerity is a dominating factor and this is translated in his paintings into a lack of richness in decoration. A particular sensation is produced upon viewing the cells of the friars, as the white walls of each is decorated with a small fresco depicting the life of Christ or the Virgin, whom Fra Angelico loved dearly. In this magical universe of the arts there is one fresco that could be called the precursor of surrealist painting and which depicts Christ being slapped by hands that are not part of any arm, but act rather as independent elements of the respective bodies. In the Convent he had a few pupils who helped him in his creations. He also undertook paintings of smaller dimensions, of virgins destined to the devotion of the Lord.
In 1446, Fra Angelico was called to Rome to paint a chapel in the Vatican but this no longer exists.
On February 1455 he died in the Convent of Santa Maria de la Minerva and was given an honorable burial.
