Lk 1:26-38

From the Lady Lever Art Gallery ..... ''The Annunciation' 1876-79', by Edward Burne-Jones (1833-1898) . Here's a little of what the page has to say about the painting .....

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In 'The Annunciation' Burne-Jones chose a vertical and narrow composition, as if the painting was another of his stained glass designs. The young Virgin looks startled by the angel's appearance, the hunching of her shoulders and the way in which she tightly clasps her dress suggest her awe for the determining event in her life. It is not only the honour of giving birth to God's Son but there is the sadness and sorrow she will experience as a mother losing her son. A visual link with the role of the Virgin in saving humanity is made through the relief on the arch, depicting the angle expelling Adam and Eve from Eden.

There is a tremendous amount of drapery detail, especially for the angel who despite the expressiveness of his face and gesture is almost suspended in space. Burne-Jones emphasised the lines in his works but never really demonstrated a great command of spatial arrangement. This is obvious in the way Burne-Jones rendered the arch of the building. The texture of the stone is most thoroughly painted and so is the supporting structure of the arch; however the perspective is ineffective and one is not naturally drawn into the depth of the painting.

Neither is there anywhere in the painting a play between light and shadow; the whole surface is equally illuminated by the inherent qualities of the rather sombre colours. Burne-Jones was obviously not concerned to convince spectators about the reality of the scene or to make them feel present by means of illusion. Instead his aim is much more poetic and spiritual in that we are expected to contemplate the news of the arrival of the saviour and feel the mystery of the divine union with human beings. The lack of movement in the painting evokes a contemplative response and a thorough examination of the surface of the painting. We are meant to experience our distance from the divine and at the same time share the Virgin's awe .....

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