Excerpt from Master in Art for 1904: A Brief Prospectus During the four years that followed his entrance upon monastic life, Fra Bartolommeo, as he was now called, entirely abandoned painting, and it was only at the urgent entreaties of his friend Santi Pagnini, prior of the Convent of San Marco, in Florence, where, his novitiate being ended, he now resided, that he at length consented to resume his brush. Had not Fra Angelico of blessed memory been an inmate of this same convent many years before, and had not its Cloisters always encouraged art in its different branches? Even Savonarola himself had exhorted all Dominican friars who had no gift for preaching or for theology to study painting and architecture; and already there were many brothers within the walls of San Marco who were not only skilled in the delicate art of the miniaturist, but distinguished in the broader fields of art as well. Surely the talent that God had intrusted to Fra Bartolommeo should not be allowed to lie hidden. So argued the wise and learned prior, and Fra Bartolommeo yielded, resolving at the same time that thenceforth his art should be devoted to the glory and service of God. The first painting of importance that he undertook after this was an altar piece for a chapel in the Church of the Badia in Florence, representing 'the Vision of St. Bernard.' This picture, much injured and repainted, is now in the Academy of Florence. It was followed by works executed for his own convent and for other religious bodies and churches; for once having taken up his brush, there was no dearth of commissions to keep it occupied. Before long, too, Fra Bartolommeo was appointed director of the studio of the Convent of San Marco. Whatever profits might accrue from his labors. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.