The Lord sent his Son to save humanity. Jesus became our Savior; He sacrificed his life and accepted tortures and pain to expiate our sins and to give us an opportunity to live. This is definitely the occasion that is one of the most important for humanity. In particular, the annunciation of the Lord’s grace and the future coming of the Savor has been a powerful and impressive event interpreted in human creative work. The angel appeared in front of Mary and said that she “hast found favor with God” (Lk 1:30) and “that holy thing which shall be born … shall be called the Son of God” (Lk 1:35). Thus, the appearance of Gabriel to Mary and the Annunciation is one of the most impressive and powerful biblical themes. The present paper is devoted to the works of art that interpret the Annunciation since art is the purest reflection of human feelings.
The present paper analyzes several classical paintings, Titian’s The Annunciation among them, presents the interpretation of the biblical extract as the frequently used theme of icons, and the analysis of Bach’s The Magnificat as a musical piece interpreting the same topic. A multidimensional approach to the theme of Annunciation in the art will help to create a harmonious understanding of the value of the Annunciation for humanity.
Titian’s The Annunciation in San Salvatore, Venice, was created during the last decades of his life (Ridolfi and Bondanella 9). This fact is important since it signifies that the creation of The Annunciation is a thought-out decision of a mature artist with rich artistic experience and life experience as well. The painting’s technique is perfect, it impresses a viewer with the artist’s application of a “myriad and even smaller brush strokes” (Ridolfi and Bondanella 9). The same authors describe this painting as “smoldering and mysterious”, “tragic and pessimistic in a way … to create images of human suffering and hope” (Ridolfi and Bondanella 9). It is difficult to go all the way with their opinion. In fact, “mysterious” is the perfect epithet for the painting, for Titian has managed to show the mystery of the event perfectly. The prevalence of shadows symbolizes the mystery and, probably, the difficulty of earthly life. The world is wrapped in darkness and the Lord is apt to save it. The dove symbolizes the Holy Spirit that will bring light and salvation to the suffering humanity. The light from the Holy Spirit is spreading all over and it seems that bright colors begin to force the darkness out at once. The angel Gabriel is the prominent element of the picture; it seems that Titian attributes more importance to him. The realism of his posture suggests the impression of movement and positive energy seems to come out of him. Gabriel is the bearer of hope; he is going to instill it in Mary’s life. Humanity will be saved; Jesus will help people to come out of the darkness. This is the main message of Titian’s painting.
A very interesting ground for analysis offers The Annunciation by Paolo de Matteis. The way different artists interpret the same episode from the Holy Bible in their own ways is really fascinating. The center of Matteis’ painting is the figure of the Virgin Mary. He makes use of special colors to portray her; pink and blue are prevalent in her garment only. Mary is less emotional than Titian’s, she seems to be ready for her holy mission, peace of mind and resignation can be observed on her face. Gabriel and other angels are also less emotional than Titian’s. This interpretation of the biblical plot suggests hope, light, and happiness but it is less emotional than the previous one analyzed.
The Annunciation by El Greco is interesting for the present analysis since it incorporates the features of both paintings that are analyzed above. Scholz-Hansen states that in The Annunciation, El Greco abandons “nearly every reference to the objective world” (73). It is really so, for the artist, the most important thing is the symbolism of occasion; he depicts it as a miracle, the unbelievable gesture of the Lord, immense mercy of His. Both characters of the painting seem to be equally important, the messenger and the Holy Virgin. The background of the painting presents an arch that leads to the yard, to open space. This element suggests the openness of the whole action, it is not concealed from people, anyone may see it as God’s blessing is meant for all people.
It is natural that the Annunciation has been among the most frequently used biblical plots that are reflected in icons. Quenot mentions two types of icons relating to the theme of the Annunciation. The first was found in the sixth century (Quenot 118). The main features of these icons are the presence of Gabriel who is announcing the divine motherhood and by the ray of light directed to Virgin Mary (Quenot 120). Thus, the same elements are used as in the paintings. The main distinction is the absence of emotions on the faces of Mary and Gabriel. It can be explained by the purpose of icons: they just state the fact and appeal to emotions, they are meant for awakening the emotions. They are the mediums between the Lord and people. As for the second type of icon devoted to the Annunciation, their distinctive feature is that they contain the image of the Child ahead of an adult that is inscribed within his mother’s womb; he raises his hand for blessing (Quenot 122). Their figurative meaning is that the Savior already exists, even unborn yet, so powerful he is. These icons awaken and strengthen faith.
While the above-analyzed examples belong to a visual type of expression, the theme of the importance of the Virgin Mary has been present in music as well. A good example is The Magnificat by Bach. It was originally composed for Christmas Day and consisted of twelve short sections. The composer did his best using these sections for illustration of the emotions and feelings. Later he revised The Magnificat and made it useful for any religious festival (Boyd 152). This modification of the composition has shown that the divine motherhood of Mary is a central theme of the Holy Bible, the theme that should be always present in every soul of every person.
Drawing a conclusion, it is possible to state that the biblical plot of the Announcement symbolizes the salvation of humanity. This is why it is so important. Everyone is free to interpret it in his/her own way as it is a matter of faith and spiritual ties between a person and the Lord. Still, the analysis of the classical works has shown that the Annunciation is the beginning of alteration of humanity, the start of purification from sin. We should never forget the moment when the Lord decided to open His desire to save people and to give them a chance to start their life once again even if He had to sacrifice the life of His only Son.
References
Boyd, Malcolm. Bach. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.
Scholz-Hansen, Michael. El Greco: Domenikos Theotokopoulous, 1541-1614. Koln: Taschen, 2004.
Rifoldi, Carlo, and Julia Conaway Bondanella. The Life of Titian. USA: Penn State Press, 1996.
Quenot, Michel. The Resurrection and the Icon. New York: St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1997.