Annunciation

Gentile da Fabriano was a celebrated and much revered Italian artist. His paintings were characterized by deep and vibrant oil paints, delicate brushwork and intricate patterns. This includes his remarkable attention towards rendering costumes, sceneries and animals. The Annunciation or the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary refers to the announcement made by Archangel Gabriel that she was to become the mother of Jesus Christ. The "Annunciation" of Fabriano is a small tempera on panel work. The colours used are warm in tone and create an intimate scene in a room enclosed on three sides. A reddish ray of light reflects inside by a rose window. The angel's announcement is seen live in the painting. Mary is almost startled with her hands folded on her lap. We see intricate detailing like the Gothic windows, the rays of light and the window's shadow on Mary's body. The room is closed except a glimpse of the outside world from where presumably the angel enters. Fabriano's painting perhaps most clearly alludes to the mediaeval hymn where Mary's virginity is compared to the window glass. The rays of light go straight from the God to Mary without breaking the glass. Thus, Fabriano's "Annunciation" represents one of the central Christian dogmas- the incarnation and birth of Jesus Christ.