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Franciscans, Dominicans and their Art: Part I, Comparing the Spirit of the Orders

© George R. Hoelzeman

Ed. Note: This has been an unusually busy two weeks in my workshop, so the article on the theology and iconography of a church will have to wait. In the interim, I offer a consideration of the comparative artistic styles of two of the most important Medieval religious orders, the Dominicans and Franciscans.

Since the dawn of human creativity, visual images have been used to express religious beliefs and embody spiritual orientations. It is a simple matter to find examples in art history from the most primitive to most contemporary periods. Even different lines of thought within a given system frequently find it necessary to express their unique perspective though visual imagery. During the later Middle Ages this was particularly true of the Dominicans and Franciscans. These two Orders had differing world views, different origins, rules, missions and training methods. These differences resulted in an equal divergence in artistic and iconographical expression. The philosophical and spiritual differences of the Orders is clearly seen when comparing a few key frescos from the Late Middle Ages and Early Renaissance. The manner in which this art embodied one Order's ideals comes most clearly into focus at the Dominican convent of San Marco in Florence.

The divergence between Dominicans and Franciscans began with the personalities of their respective founders1. Francis (1181-1226) was the son of a wealthy Italian merchant. He began having visions in 1205 which eventually compelled him to radically alter his rather rowdy lifestyle. He devoted himself to a quest for personal holiness characterized by absolute poverty, asceticism, and emotionalistic preaching. By 1210 approval for a vague rule was received from Pope Innocent III and thus the Order of Friars Minor were born. The order was essentially a personality cult2 centered on Francis. He personally approved all new members and dictated policy as problems arose. By 1221, however, this policy was no longer effective due to the rapidly increasing number of adherents and conflicts within the order. Francis was required by the papacy to write, then rewrite in 1223, a Rule for his order. The first of these Rules is dominated by Francis' own severe code of personal behavior while the 1223 Rule is much milder. The sometimes dictatorial control of the founder was slipping away and Francis' last years were characterized by frustration and a fear of open conflict with Master General Elias. Francis died in 1226, was canonized in 1228, and his cult was rapidly spread throughout Europe by his followers. His lack of clerical status, creation of the Third Order (a lay branch) and option for the poor combined with a growing lay movement facilitated the spread of his fame.

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