The Annunciation is a painting by Leonardo da Vinci on a classic biblical story. Many artists, from the Middle Ages to the avant-garde, turned to the image of the Virgin Mary in front of the announcing angel. In the Renaissance, this plot was captured on the canvases of great masters countless times. Nevertheless, none of them attracts as much attention of researchers and admirers of painting from around the world as Leonardo's masterpiece.
Vinci, "The Annunciation": a description of the painting and other stories
The name of Leonardo da Vinci at least once in his life has been heard even by someone who is deeply alien to the sense of beauty. However, art connoisseurs often stumble over the fact that, in fact, the great genius did not have a surname in the generally accepted sense.
Leonardo from Vinci - the name of the artist is literally translated. From this small town in Tuscany, his ascent to the heights of pictorial art began.
As a fourteen-year-old teenager, Leonardo enters the workshop of the Florentine painter Andrea Verrocchio. In just six years, he will write his first āAnnunciationā.
The painting by Leonardo da Vinci was painted in the years 1472-1475. It still retains the features of the art of the Early Renaissance. The young artist leaves the traditional composition, static and verified. Architectural details and interior items of strict geometric shapes are spelled out in strict accordance with the laws of linear perspective.
The figures of the archangel and the Virgin Mary conditionally divide the elongated horizontal format of work into two parts. In one, the archangel Gabriel against the backdrop of a decorative frozen landscape symbolizes the heavenly world. In the other, Maria is on the doorstep of the house. It belongs to the earthly world. In accordance with the canons of the image, the artist depicts her majestically sitting in front of the Bible, revealed on an elegant marble stand.
From tradition to own style
The young painterās early work is still full of traditional cliches, and nevertheless, Leonardoās unique style of writing appears in it, which will distinguish his subsequent masterpieces. The full power of the talent of the 21-year-old artist is fully demonstrated by the first āAnnunciationā.
Leonardo da Vinci's painting is still full of frozen, unnatural beauty. Decorative details fill it, emphasizing the grandeur of the moment. And at the same time, biblical images lack pathos.
The figure of the archangel froze in motion, he reaches out in a characteristic gesture, in the other holds a stalk of white lily as a symbol of the purity and innocence of the Virgin Mary. He is depicted quite tangible, in dense robes with heavy folds, under his feet is crumpled grass. It is commensurate with the figure of the still earthly Mary, and the landscape, and the entire earthly environment.
The image of Mary is also devoid of iconic majesty. She still, like a queen, is seated on her throne bench, raising her head and calmly looking at the messenger. Nevertheless, this is an earthly young girl. As a sign of acceptance of the message, she gracefully raises her hand.
The Annunciation - a painting by Leonardo da Vinci? Interesting Facts
For a long time, the battles of specialists did not subside around the picture. Many were inclined to consider her a work of Ghirlandaio, and not the young Leonardo.
The picture was subjected to later intervention, which further complicated attribution. An unknown author significantly increased the wings of the archangel, making them grotesquely large. The surviving diaries and sketches of the artist suggest that he copied them from birds, and most likely, in the original version, they were much more modest.
Nevertheless, despite the fragments added, many details, no doubt, point to the artistās hand: the recognizable foggy rocky landscape in the background, the face of the archangel resembling the first angel painted by Leonardo in the picture of his teacher, expressive hands with anatomical accuracy, golden curls and heavy draperies on the figure. All these features undoubtedly indicate that the āAnnunciationā is a painting by Leonardo da Vinci.
Second Virgin Mary
Two years later, Leonardo writes another work on the same plot. Today this small board is kept in the collection of the Louvre. Despite the similarity of the composition, the second picture is characterized by a greater chamberness, image intimacy. It already fully reveals the features of Leonardo's unique pictorial manner.
We examined the painting āThe Annunciationā - a painting by Leonardo da Vinci. The photos allow you to compare the image of the Virgin Mary with the first and second paintings and see what new features he acquired.