The Annunciation Deconstructed

 While those outside of the Roman Catholic Church may be unfamiliar with the term, “The Annunciation”, we celebrate its fulfillment every December 25th. The Annunciation is the term that is used to describe the occasion of the angel Gabriel visiting Mary with the news that she was carrying the son of God, in a miraculous virgin birth. The Annunciation has been a popular subject for artwork through the first millennium, and many artists have tried to capture it. This particular painting is by Phillipe de Champaigne, a French artist in the 17th century. It is important to note that while all of these paintings look different, some in minor ways and some vast, most can be unified by a common set of elements that exist in each work. Surrounding this painting are some examples of those elements, isolated in individual artworks hailing from various centuries, artworks that may have no intended association with the Annunciation. However, by highlighting these elements, the experience of the viewer becomes enhanced as a sort of search develops in the mind to locate these Annunciation icons in this painting, and one ponders what role each of these forms play in the visual story that the artist is telling.

Philippe de Champaigne, The Annunciation

Ca. 1644, Oil on Oak

28” x 28 ¾”

Metropolitan Museum of Art, Accession Number 2004.31

Painted in the mid 17th century, this Annunciation painting was certainly not the first of its kind. However, it provides us with a simple and clear example of the elements that painters included to point to the story of the Annunciation, drawing lived in their viewers' visual archives. These symbols are scattered throughout the painting, and can be seen in the dove flying in the top right corner, the long stemmed lily that is held by the angel, the blue and red garments that are draped on Mary’s shoulders, her kneeling pose, and the putti floating overhead.

Unknown artist, The Attarouthi Treasure - Silver Dove

Ca AD 500-650

Silver

3 ⅝” x 6 ¼” x 2 11⁄16”

Metropolitan Museum of Art, Accession Number: 1986.3.15

The oldest of the iconical pieces selected, this silver sculpture of a dove was formed in Syria during the Byzantine empire. The dove is a common symbol for the third person of the Christian Trinity, the Holy Spirit. In the biblical story, the Holy Spirit caused Mary to conceive and bear the Son of God in her womb. De Champaigne represents this procession in the form of a dove flying down surrounded by rays of light.

Alexander Calder, White Lily

1944-45

Sheet Metal and Wire

50 ½” x 73” x 53”

Saint Louis Art Museum, Object Number: 144:1946

This is a modern art sculpture constructed by Calder in the mid 20th century. It portrays a white lily, a flower that is native to the Middle East, as well as Eastern and some parts of Western Europe. Iconographically, this flower represents purity and cleanliness, and spiritually this refers to the absence of sin. In most Annunciation paintings, the white lily is present to point to the Roman Catholic Church’s doctrine of the Sinlessness of Mary. Because of this conjunction, the flower has come to be a shorthand for the Virgin Mary herself.

Mark Rothko, No 1 Royal Red and Blue

1954

Oil on Canvas

113 ¾” x 67 ½”

Mark Rothko was one of the most popular abstract artists of the 20th century, and was a part of the movement that sought to discover the true nature of painting, rather than trying to imitate life or sculpture. As such, his paintings were famously abstracted to pure fields of color, that sought to evoke emotions rather than represent figures. These two colors, red and blue, can be found in the garments that Mary is wearing in de Champaigne’s painting. Historically, the blue symbolizes purity and virtue, while the red symbolizes importance and royalty.

Ellie Nadelman, Kneeling Figure Ca. 1915 Pen and Brown Ink and Graphite on Paper 15” x 15 ⅞” Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2014.743

This figure of a kneeling human is minimalistic in its form. Yet in it we can see a rich understanding of the formal principle of line. These are gestural strokes that give a wispy and ephemeral feeling to the artwork. The position that the figure is in is where the relation to The Annunciation is found. In most Annunciation paintings, either Mary or Gabriel is kneeling, as a sign of respect to the other; Mary, because she is in the presence of one of God’s messengers, and Gabriel because he is in the presence of the woman who found favor with the Lord. In de Champaigne’s, he elected to position Mary in the kneeling or lowered position

Francisco Bertos, Inkwell with Three Putti

Ca. 1738

Bronze and Black Lacquer

15” x 9 ¼” x 6 ⅝”

Metropolitan Museum of Art, Accession Number: 1982.60.110

The first functional piece of artwork in this display, this inkwell is formed out of bronze, with traces of black lacquer that cause experts to suspect that it once had a finish on it. Depicted atop the inkwell are three putti, infantile figures that represented angels and the presence of holiness. They often accompany the full sized angels, and can act as a window into the spiritual world. Often, putti are seen looking on from above, symbolizing the heavenly realm.