In 1984, Pope John Paul II declared Blessed Fra Angelico the "patron saint of Catholic artists." This painting shows Fra Angelico sunk into grief as he contemplates Jesus dying on the cross out of love for him.

Bl. Fra Angelico (1395-1455) was a Dominican friar who used his artistic gifts for the glory of God. In this picture, angles are visiting him; they might have been his muses. One looks like he wants to comfort Brother Angelico; one leaning on the doorframe looks like he is sunk into contemplation of the picture. The one kneeling is reverent before the picture of the Christ, and possibly to the nearness of the crucifixion that Angelico has drawn himself into. Art can have deep links to the faith. In his 1999 Letter to Artists, Pope John Paul II said, "In order to communicate the message entrusted to her by Christ, the Church needs art. Art must make perceptible, and as far as possible attractive, the world of the spirit, of the invisible, of God."

Paul-Hippolyte Flandrin (1856-1921) was a painter famous for his Catholic paintings and church frescoes. He was the son of Jean-Hippolyte Flandrin (1809-1864), known as Hippolyte Flandrin, also a famous painter, and to whom this painting is sometimes incorrectly attributed. This painting was painted in 1894 and is housed at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen. We also carry some of the father's work in our shop.

** IMPORTANT ** THE IMAGE IS SMALLER THAN THE PAPER! There is a white border of about 0.5" inch for 5x7", 1.3" for 8.5x11", or 1.6" for 11x14" pictures. All Approx! Fine art printers do this because the images are almost never the same rectangular ratio of the standard paper sizes. It also gives the prints a finished look, and lets them look good in a frame without a matt.

- Acid-free paper
- Archival pigments, rated to last for generations.
- Cardboard backer
- Above story of the art
- Enclosed in a tight-fitting, crystal clear bag.

Thanks for your interest!

Thanks!
Sue & John

"In order to communicate the message entrusted to her by Christ, the Church needs art." ~ St. Pope John Paul II

Original image is out-of-copyright. Descriptive text and image alterations (hence the whole new image) © by Sue Kouma Johnson - CatholicArtAndJewelry.