(Florence 1472 – Pian di Mugnone, Tuscany 1517)

Fra Bartolomeo was an Italian painter who was disciple of Cosimo Rosselli. He was also known as Baccio della Porta.

In 1494 he performed his works jointly with Mariotto Albertinelli. He was influenced by Fra Girolamo Savonarola, whose portrait was painted by Fra Bartolomeo, to enter in 1500 in the Dominican order. It was then when he began to be named Fra Bartolomeo. He left the painting for four years till 1504 that he returned to do art. He put his works at the absolute disposal of the religion and he defended, as Savoranola did, a light and a sacred kind of painting like a direct visual illustration of the Bible for educating those people who were unable to read it.

Later, he withdrew to the convent of San Marco in Florence, as Fra Angelico did. His art adopted a classical form that was influenced by Leonardo da Vinci’s sfumato and Raphael’s harmony.

Fra Bartolomeo figures are almost always covered and small. He painted Saint Mark Evangelist’s figure, which was considered his master piece, and Saint Sebastian’s figure. We have to stress his ability with light, the richness and the daintiness of the colour and the line of his figures in his compositions.