v. 1370 -v. 1425 · Florence, Camaldolese and international Gothic order

Radiant gold, supple lines and contemplative spirituality make Lorenzo Monaco one of the peaks of Florentine painting before Fra Angelico.

Piero di Giovanni, known as Lorenzo Monaco, was born around 1370, probably in Siena. In Florence, he entered the Camaldolese monastery of Santa Maria degli Angeli and took his vows in 1391. Monastic life, liturgical chant and the illumination of choir books lastingly shaped his outlook. He then left the cloister while maintaining close links with his order and set up an active workshop in the city. His gold-bottomed panels, altarpieces and manuscripts combine the tradition of Giotto and Orcagna with the new elegance of international Gothic. His panels with a gold background, altarpieces and manuscripts combine the tradition of Giotto and Orcagna with the new elegance of international Gothic. His panels with a gold background, altarpieces and manuscripts combine the tradition of Giotto and Orcagna with the new elegance of international Gothic. The silhouettes lengthen, the draperies follow nervous curves and the precious color enlivens the sacred space. In The Adoration of the Magi, the procession becomes a continuous movement of figures, fabrics and looks. The Triptych of the Annunciation unites painted architecture and silent dialogue; The Coronation of the Virgin deploys a celestial vision ordered by gold and the rhythms of the line. The Last Supper favors the communion of gestures and spiritual depth rather than a strictly natural space. Died around 1425, Lorenzo Monaco prepares with his light and gentleness several innovations by Fra Angelico while bringing the Florentine Gothic tradition to its fulfillment. The Adoration of the Magi and the Florentine Gothic tradition were notably compared to the Adoration of the Magi and the Triptych of the Annunciation. Its reading favor figures.

In Lorenzo Monaco, gold is not a background: it becomes the very light of a world governed by prayer and rhythm.