Fra Angelico: The Light of the Soul, a magnificent art book that offers an intimate encounter with the work of the celebrated Early Renaissance painter Fra Angelico . Published jointly by Guillaud Editions in Paris, this substantial quarto volume of 398 pages focuses primarily on the artist’s masterpieces housed in the Convent of San Marco in Florence, where Fra Angelico, himself a Dominican friar, created his most significant body of work .
What distinguishes this volume is its extraordinary production quality and innovative presentation. The book features 190 illustrations reproduced in four colors plus gold, capturing the ethereal quality of Fra Angelico’s paintings. Most notably, the great frescoes of San Marco, which had undergone restoration in 1983, are reproduced on delicate onionskin paper to convey something closer to their actual luminosity and fresco-like appearance. The inclusion of dramatic close-ups, moving details, and thoughtful juxtapositions brings to life the full range of the artist’s work, from the famous Crucifixion and Annunciation frescoes to monumental altarpieces and intimate scenes from the life of Christ.
The scholarly content includes contributions from Giorgio Bonsanti on the restoration of the San Marco frescoes, along with detailed examinations of individual works such as the San Marco altarpiece, the Linaiuoli triptych, and the Bosco ai Frati altarpiece. The physical book itself is bound in yellow cloth with an embossed image on the front cover reflecting the angel motif from the dust jacket, and measures approximately 30 centimeters in height. This beautiful edition, with its bibliography and index, remains an essential resource for understanding the devotional art of this deeply spiritual Renaissance master.
