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Gothic and
Early Renaissance |
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Andrea da Firenze (Andrea di Bonaiuto) |
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Andrea da Firenze, also called
Andrea di Bonaiuto (flourished c. 1346—died after May 16,
1379), Florentine fresco painter whose considerable ability
is demonstrated by his works in the church of Sta. Maria
Novella in Florence.
Andrea’s name appears in
the register of the Arte dei Medici e degli Speziali guild
in Florence. At the end of 1365 he was commissioned to
decorate the chapter house of the church of Sta. Maria
Novella. Also attributed to him are the decorations in the
Spanish chapel and the cartoon (full-scale drawing) for the
stained-glass window of the facade. Although he was
acquainted with Giotto’s innovations in modelling and
spatial depth, he was strongly influenced by the linear,
hieratic art of his Florentine contemporary Andrea Orcagna,
and most of his works display the rigid compositions and
immobile faces associated with the Byzantine tradition.
Also attributed to Andrea
are the three upper panels of a mural showing the life of
St. Ranieri in the Campo Santo (cemetery) at Pisa. |
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THE DOMINICANS
The Dominican monks, Sisto and Ristoro, are traditionally
credited with the planning and construction of the Church of
Santa Maria Novella in Florence. The plan of the building, a
Latin cross with square chapels jutting out from the east
side of the transept, was used for Franciscan models.
The
dynamic concept differs, from the slender cross vaults to
acute pointed arches separating the nave, but with a greater
spatial unity.
In the second half of the 14th century, Andrea da Firenze (Andrea di Bonaiuto) painted the wonderful frescos for the
adjacent Spanish Chapel, in which the picture of the Church
of the Triumph of the Faith closely resembled Arnolfo di
Cambio's design for the cathedral, Santa Maria del Fiore.
The spatial integrity of the building is already implicit in Arnolfo's plan of 1294, but the dome of the fresco model is
augmented by Brunelleschi's octagonal drum that carries the
dome.
Another example of Dominican theology is Bonaiuto's
fresco cycle showing Thomas Aquinas dominating the
allegorical figures of all the liberal arts and the sciences
of the theological cursus. |
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Santa Maria Novella, Florence.
Santa Maria Novella, interior, begun in 1279. |
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Crucifixion,
fresco, 1365-1368,
Santa Maria Novella, Florence
Descent of the Holy Spirit,
fresco, 1365-1368,
Santa Maria Novella, Florence
Descent of Christ to Limbo,
fresco, 1365-1368,
Santa Maria Novella, Florence
Christ Bearing the Cross to Calvary,
fresco, 1365-1368,
Santa Maria Novella, Florence
The Christ Militant and Triumphant,
fresco, 1365-1368,
Santa Maria Novella, Florence
The Christ Militant and Triumphant,
fresco, 1365-1368,
Santa Maria Novella, Florence |
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CONTENTS |
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