In his simple habit tied with a rope, the 13th-century mystic Saint Francis of Assisi is among the most recognisable figures in the history of Christianity – thanks in no small part to the painters who have depicted him. This exhibition at the National Gallery in London (6 May–30 July) considers how his life and teachings have inspired artists from the Renaissance to the present. Works from the dawn of the Renaissance – a few decades after Saint Francis died – include frescoes by Giotto from the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi, depicting his stigmatisation (c. 1290s). Other highlights include panels from the high altar of Saint Francis in Borgo Sansepolcro, Arezzo, by Sassetta, which would have illustrated the life and teaching of Saint Francis to the friars of the church. There are also modern and contemporary responses to Franciscan teachings on show here, among them Untitled (for Francis) (1985) by Antony Gormley. Find out more on the National Gallery’s website.
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Saint Francis renounces his Earthly Father from the San Sepolcro Altarpiece (1437–44), Sassetta
Saint Francis of Assisi in Ecstasy (c. 1595–96), Caravaggio. Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford. Photo: Allen Phillips; © Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art
Saint Francis of Assisi with Angels (c. 1475–80), Sandro Botticelli. Photo: © the National Gallery, London
Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata (1590–95), El Greco. Photo: © National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin
Saint Francis in Meditation (1635–39), Francisco de Zurbarán. Photo: © The National Gallery, London