>>> RENAISSANCE PAINTER FRA ANGELICO HAS BEEN A FAVORITE OF
POPES FROM THE 1400S TO JOHN PAUL II, AND FOR THE FIRST TIME
IN 200 YEARS FOUR OF HIS MOST SIGNIFICANT WORKS ARE REUNITED
AT THE ISABELLE STEWART GARNER MUSEUM IN BOSTON.
"CONNECTING POINT'S" JARED BOWEN TAKES US ON A TRIP TO SEE THE
EXHIBIT.
. >> THIS IS WHERE YOU COME TO
EXPERIENCE THE DIVINE.
YOU WILL FIND FOUR DEPICTIONS OF SEMINOLE MOMENTS IN THE VIRGIN
MARY'S LIFE.
>> WE SEE A MIRACULOUS EVENT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 200 YEARS.
WE SEE THESE FOUR MAGNIFICENT RELIQUARIES REUNITED.
>> THEY WERE PAINTED IN FLORENCE IN THE 1400s.
RELIQUARIES TO SHOWCASE THE RELICS OF SAINTS AND MINUTELY
CARVED CHAMBERS.
MR.
SILVER IS THE CURATOR AT THE ISABELLE STEWART GARDEN MUSEUM.
>> WE MEAN FRAGMENTS OF BONE, PIECES OF SKIN, STRANDS OF HAIR,
SO RELATIVELY INVISIBLE AND TINY, SO THE WORK IS TO EN
SHRINE AND HONOR AND GLORIFY THESE HOLY FRAGMENTS.
>> FRA ANGELICO, BY HIS LATE TEENS HE RACKED UP COMMISSIONS
FROM THE FLORENCE ELITE.
AND BY HIS 20s HE WAS WORKING FOR THE POPE.
>> GETTING A COMMISSION FROM THE POPE WAS THE ULTIMATE INDICATION
OF SUCCESS.
>> PATRONS AND FELLOW ARTISTS ALL AGREED HE COULD PAINT LIKE
NO OTHER.
LOOK AT HIS SHIMMERING PAINTING TITLED "PARADISE" FEATURING 87
SAINTLY FIGURES.
IT'S ON LOAN FROM AN ITALIAN GALLERY AND IT'S THE FIRST TIME
IT EVER APPEARED IN THE UNITED STATES.
>> I HOPE THIS SHOWS UP AS WELL ON TELEVISION AS IT DOES HERE IN
PERSON, BUT DESCRIBE FOR ME HIS USE OF GOLD.
WHAT KIND OF ENVIRONMENT THAT CREATES IN THIS SCENE?
>> THIS PAINTING SPARKLES WITH THE DAZZLE OF HEAVEN.
THE VIRGIN AND CHRIST ARE ALMOST DEPICTED AS IF THEY ARE THE
SOURCE OF ILLUMINATION IN THIS PAINTING AND THAT LIGHT SPREADS
OUT FROM THEM, INVISIBLE RAYS, AND YOU CAN SEE THE TROUBLE HE
HAS TAKEN IN THESE LINES OF THE SURFACE.
THESE LINES LIGHT UP THE PAINTING AS YOU WALK BY IT.
THEY MAKE THE FIGURES COME ALIVE.
>> FRA ANGELICO PAINED THE RELIQUARIES AT ABOUT THE SAME
TIME.
HE TOOK A VOW OF POVERTY, CHASTITY AND OBEDIENCE WHILE
DEVOTING HIS LIFE TO ART.
AFTER HIS DEATH HE BECAME FRA ANGELICO.
>> HE WAS DUBBED THE ANGELIC PAINTER, A PAINTER INTELLECTUAL.
>> THE RELIQUARIES HAD SIMILAR SIGNIFICANCE.
THEY WERE TYPICALLY KEPT LOCKED AWAY.
THE GENERAL PUBLIC COULD SEE THEM ONLY DURING RARE
CELEBRATIONS AND NEVER TOGETHER.
>> IT WAS ONLY THE MOST ESTEEMED VISITORS, SOMEBODY LIKE THE POPE
COMING TO VISIT, WHO WOULD HAVE ACTUALLY HAD THE EXPERIENCE OF
SEEING THEM ALL AT ONCE, ALL IN THE SAME PLACE.
SO THE EXPERIENCE WE ARE OFFERING YOU HERE IS ACTUALLY AN
EXPERIENCE FIT FOR A POPE ESSENTIALLY.
A VERY VIP EXPERIENCE.
>> THE EXHIBITION WAS INSPIRED BY THIS RELIQUARY, THE GARNER
MUSEUM'S HOME.
THE DESCENT INTO HEAVEN.
>> THEY ACTUALLY SEEM TO BE RESOLVING AROUND THE VIRGIN WHO
ACTS AS A PIVOT FOR THIS ENTIRE SCENE.
THEY ARE ACTUALLY CREATING A KIND OF VORTEX, A SORT OF
CELESTIAL DISTURBANCE AND YOU GET THE MOVEMENT OF THE AIR IN
THE FINEST DETAILS IN HER CLOAK, AND THE ANGELS THEMSELVES ARE
ACTUALLY PROPELLING THE VIRGIN UPWARDS INTO HEAVEN AND IT'S
THEIR ACTIVITY THAT IS ACTUALLY SENDING HER SKYWARDS.
THIS IS TOTALLY NEW.
NO ONE HAS DONE THIS BEFORE.
>> IT WAS ISABELLE'S TRUSTED ART ADVISOR WHO DASHED OFF A LETTER
FROM FLORENCE IMPLYING HER TO BUY THE RENAISSANCE MASTERPIECE.
ONE OF THE LOVELYEST EVER PAINED HE WROTE.
>> SHE WRITES BACK AND SAYS, YES, EVEN THOUGH IT'S VERY
EXPENSIVE I AM GOING TO GO FOR IT.
AND IT WAS A PRESCIENT DECISION.
IT BECAME THE FIRST PAINTING BY FRA ANGELICO IN THE UNITED
STATES.
>> ITS ARRIVAL WAS COVERED BY NEWSPAPERS.
>> THEY WEREN'T OBJECTS THAT WERE BEING USED A LOT, SO THAT
HELPS A LOT.
WHAT WE SEEM TO UNDERSTAND FROM OUR PICTURE IS THAT PROBABLY --
IT LOOKS LIKE OVER THE LAST 200 YEARS IT WAS BEHIND GLASS.
>> X-RAYS REVEALED PIECES OF WOOD WERE ADDED TO THE RELIQUARY
IN THE 1800S TO MAKE IT LOOK MORE LIKE A PAINTING.
AS IT WAS DISPLAYED IN ITS ENGLISH HOME BEFORE GARNER
PURCHASED IT.
THE WOOD WAS REMOVED TO RESTORE THE ORIGINAL CREATION.
>> YOU WOULD BE SURPRISED HOW MANY OBJECTS HAVE BEEN ALTERED
IN VERY SIGNIFICANT WAYS TO SUIT A COLLECTOR'S TASTE.
>> NOW IT IS AS IT WAS AND HIS RELIQUARIES ARE AS THEY WERE.
>> ON A SCALE OF ONE TO TEN, HOW DIFFICULT WAS IT TO PULL OFF ALL
OF THE REUNIONS THAT YOU HAVE DONE HERE?
>> ELEVEN.
[LAUGHTER] >> IT WAS A LOT OF NEGOTIATING,
A LOT OF MEETINGS, AND, WELL, YOU JUST TRY TO BE AS POLITE AND
DETERMINED AS POSSIBLE.