I’ve been blessed to visit some of the greatest museums in the world, and I’m always fascinated by the large amounts of Catholic art on display. It makes sense to some extent, because have the greatest inspiration possible – Divine Love. No other flowery, romanticism can compare to the power of the love of God. Still, I’m most fascinated by how people often try to remove it from its context and message to only focus on the aesthetic beauty.
Exactly 9 months before Christmas, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Annunciation every March 25th. This celebration is a very big deal. Yes, the nativity is where the world got to meet Jesus Incarnate, but it was at the Annunciation where the Infinite God entered a finite world and took on flesh. This is the very moment that inspires us to bow during our proclamation of the Credo (Nicene or Apostle’s Creed).
For years, my favorite pieces of art have focused on this very important event. The other reason I really enjoy this theme is because it combines two of my favorites topics – Mary and Angels. This is truly a unique event when an angel, a very high celestial being, speaks to a humble young woman with a greeting that no other human has every received – “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.”
Everyone has their own interpretation of how they envision St Luke’s account of the event. Each one focuses on different emotions, actions, and perspectives of this world-changing event. Here are some of my personal favorites.
Henry Ossawa Tanner – Annunciation
Sandro Botticelli
Carl Heinrich Bloch -The Annunciation
Catherine Andrews – Annunciation
Mikhail Nesterov – Annunciation
Dan Thompson – Annunciation
David Metropolitan
Ecce Ancilla Domin i-Gabriel Rossetti – Annunciation
James Christensen – The Annunciation
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