By Alexandros Dimiropoulos
“Non fece mai Crucifisso che non si bagnasse le gote di lagrime.”
“He never painted a Crucifix without tears running down his cheeks.”
—Giorgio Vasari, Le Vite de’ più eccellenti pittori, scultori e architetti
With these words, Giorgio Vasari—the great sixteenth-century artist and biographer—describes Fra Angelico. This is precisely the moment Paul-Hippolyte Flandrin chooses to portray in this painting.
Fra Angelico, deeply moved by the subject of his work, holds his brushes in one hand while the other supports his face as he weeps. Beside him lies a small book, clearly a religious text, while the expressions of the angels observing him heighten the emotional intensity of the scene. It is a powerful image that not only conveys deep feeling but also offers insight into the spiritual life of Fra Angelico, one of the most important painters of the fifteenth century.
But let us begin with the painter of this work. Paul-Hippolyte Flandrin (1856–1921) was the son of Hippolyte Flandrin, himself a highly respected artist in the nineteenth century and regarded by some as one of the great religious painters of his time—though today he is less widely known. In fact, Hippolyte Flandrin has even been described as the “Fra Angelico” of his era. Below is one of his paintings:
This artistic family background may help explain why Paul-Hippolyte Flandrin chose to depict Fra Angelico and why many of his early works focus on religious themes. It is also important to note that Paul-Hippolyte studied under Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, one of the greatest painters of the period—just as his father had done.
Today, Paul-Hippolyte Flandrin remains relatively unknown, despite having created remarkable works such as this portrayal of Fra Angelico. Another notable example is his depiction of Joan of Arc, shown below:
Returning to the subject of the painting, we must look more closely at Fra Angelico himself. He is shown here as a monk, accompanied by angels, reinforcing the impression of a man who devoted his entire life to God.
This impression is well founded. Born Guido di Pietro, he later took the name Fra Giovanni upon becoming a Dominican friar. Fourteen years after his death, he was first referred to as pictor angelicus (“the angelic painter”), a title that echoes doctor angelicus, attributed to Thomas Aquinas, and reflects the perceived purity and spiritual power of his character. Vasari later extended this “angelic” quality to Fra Angelico’s artistic technique itself—his luminous colors, expressive figures, and spiritual clarity making it seem as though his paintings were created by an angel’s hand.
Most of what we know about Fra Angelico’s life comes from Vasari, who wrote biographies of many artists of his time. It is from Vasari that we get the quote cited at the beginning—“He never painted a Crucifix without tears running down his cheeks”—the note that inspired Flandrin’s painting.
However, Vasari was an artist rather than a historian, and some details of his biographies may not be entirely reliable. He portrays Fra Angelico as humble, devout, and wholly dedicated to God, recounting episodes from his life as a Dominican monk that almost resemble a hagiography. Given the scarcity of other sources, it is difficult to determine how much of this narrative is literal truth—though there is little doubt that Fra Angelico was indeed deeply religious and modest in character.
In the article “The Story of Fra Angelico: Reflections in Mirrors” (Cyril Gerbron, 2015), three points are presented as beyond doubt:
The fact that Fra Angelico painted exclusively religious subjects suggests that his work was not driven by public taste or aesthetic ambition, but by devotion.
When he became a Dominican friar at a young age, he joined the stricter Observant branch rather than the Conventuals, a choice that, among other things, prevented him from accumulating personal wealth from his art.
Giuliano Lapaccini, in his Cronaca di San Marco—written during Fra Angelico’s lifetime—describes him as a modest man who lived a deeply religious life.
Taken together, these points strongly support the image of Fra Angelico as a humble man devoted to God. Even if Vasari’s statements—such as that he never painted a Crucifix without tears or never took up a brush without first praying—may sound exaggerated, they may well contain a kernel of truth.
It is precisely this spiritual devotion that Paul-Hippolyte Flandrin captures in this painting, presenting it with remarkable sensitivity and emotional depth.
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