Fra Bartolommeo shows the Christian spirit; his faces look beyond the
present judgment, and, instead of wrath, mercy is the predominating
idea. It is like the difference in spirit between the Old Testament and
the New.
The painter's reverence of Fra Angelico, and estimation of the divinity
of art, is shown by Fra Angelico being placed among the saints of
heaven on the right of the Saviour.
Leonardo's instructions for shading off a light sky will occur to any
one who studies the finely gradated tints mingling with the clouds
around the celestial group. But grand as the fresco is, and interesting
as it must have been to the artist at this time, when thoughts of
Savonarola mingled with every stroke, he felt he was not fulfilling his
true mission in the world. Drawn more and more to the convent, hallowed
to him by the memory of the martyr-friar, he was also more attuned to
thoughts of retirement by family bereavements--one young brother,
Piero, only being left to him out of the whole circle. The reluctance
to leave this youth alone may have deferred for a time his taking the
monastic vows; but having placed him under the guardianship of Santi
Pagnini, a Dominican, he consigned the _Last Judgment_ to Mariotto
to finish, and leaving his worldly goods to his brother, took the habit
in the convent of S.
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