Museum of S. Mark and the ray of light passage on

Shortly after the 1440 Fra Angelico painted frescoes in the convent of San Marco image of the Annunciation, one of the most admired paintings of the friar artist.

The painting is made in such a position as to receive the natural light from a window, originally probably smaller than the current, located to the left of the fresco on a wall once east. Consequently the first rays of the morning hit the fresco imbuing colors that change hue with changes in light intensity.

In the days 25 and 26 March 2015, the Feast of the Annunciation, that in Florence until 1750 was celebrated as the first day of the year, the Museum of San Marco offers the opportunity to attend the screening of a video entitled "The 25 marzo ", realized in 2013 Caroline Duchatelet, visual artist.

It is a performance of about 40 minutes that reaches its climax with the explosion of a bright ray of sunlight that hits the Angel of the Annunciation.

On the screen the video of Duchatelet makes us live the dawn of 25 March watching what happens on the fresco: the feeling is of being in a dark night, awaiting the dawn that will emerge from the darkness before the porch, Then the angel, and finally the Virgin.

Yannick Haenel Dice: "We went to see the fresco of Fra 'Angelico in the morning of 25 March, Annunciation Day. We expected, all’alba, the arrival of the light. We saw the first ray of sun touch the angel, then the Virgin. We have seen what, no doubt, Fra 'Angelico had expected: the fulfillment of the mystery of the Annunciation through light painting ".

This movie is part of the specific interests of the artist on light and landscape and especially the sunrise, subject on which she has made a series of films. It is the result of a research project conducted by the French writer Yannick Haenel and with the art historian and creator of the project Neville Rowley; with the support of the Centre National des Arts Plastiques and the Institut français Florence.

The video will be screened 25 and the 26 next March in the Library of Michelozzo Museum of San Marco.

On both days the screenings will be held at 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19. For each screening will assist a group of 15 people maximum.

Admission is free with reservations required by writing an email to: museosanmarco@polomuseale.firenze.it or by calling: 055/23.88.608.

On the occasion of the Feast of the Annunciation, from 25 al 28 March in the Museum of San Marco will take the usual tours, by the museum staff, that will have as its theme "The Annunciation by Fra Angelico in San Marco".

The free tour, in Italian and included in the price of admission, will have the following schedule: the first at 11 and the second at ore12,30.

No reservation is required and the meeting point for groups (maximum 25 people) will be in the Cloister of St. Anthony, signaled by sign. For more information call 055/23.88.608, or send an email to: museosanmarco@polomuseale.firenze.it.

Nicola Nuti

By the number 56 - Year II 18/03/2015