Posts tagged ‘Annunciation’

Dec 6

The Annunciation in Art

When I was recently looking through pictures of the annunciation in order to check that my own Norm depiction of the famous encounter between the angel Gabriel and Mary was correct, I noticed just how incredibly well represented the festival is in Christian art. From renaissance masters such as Fra Angelico and Botticelli to the interpretations of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, the image of Mary and the Angel Gabriel is as prominent a depiction in art history as the female nude. Such was the breadth of artistic output given over to the image, I felt compelled to share a few on The Daily Norm.

Despite the diversity of styles and compositional techniques used by the artists of these works, several strands remain common to them all. The Angel Gabriel is usually holding a white lily, said to represent Mary’s virginity, and a dove is very often present, representing the Holy Spirit and the conception which it at that moment engineers. The composition is also largely similar, with Mary on the right and Gabriel on the left, and in general the scene is played out on the outside of a house for example in a portico or garden.

For my Norm sketch, I tried to incorporate as many of these trends as possible, even playing on the trickery of perspective employed with such adeptness by Bottocelli and emulated in my old tiled floor. However I have placed my characters inside in a dusty Nazareth home. No grand renaissance porticos for me.

Fra Angelico (1438)

Fillippo Lippi (1443)

Attributed to Barthélemy d’Eyck (c.1443)

Carlo Crivelli (15th century)

Botticelli (1490)

Phillippe de Champaigne (1644)

Esteban Perez Murillo (1655)

George Hitchcock (1887)

John William Waterhouse (1914)

There’s something truly captivating about religious art, whatever your creed or belief, and despite not being a church goer myself, I find myself drawn to depictions of the Annunciation and the Nativity more than any other symbol of Christmas – just as for me old carols sung in monastery cloisters, and a visit to a candlelit carol concert of a cold winters evening are far more synonymous with Christmas than any tacky coca cola Christmas ad or the manic pre-Christmas shopping rush on Oxford street. I have therefore enjoyed the exercise of researching these paintings, transporting me as they do to the candlelit churches of Italy in December, where I was studying art history 12 years ago. I hope you enjoy them too.

The Norm Nativity | The Annunciation (daily-norm.com)

Dec 5

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The Norm Nativity | The Annunciation

In 2011, I brought you the Norm Christmas Carol. Last year we watched the developing tale of Normy and Normette’s turbulent relationship in the 12 Days of Normy Christmas. And this year I bring you, exclusive to The Daily Norm, The Norm Nativity! It’s a story which is known throughout the world, which fostered a global religion two millennia ago, and without which there would be no Christmas. But never before has the Nativity story, favourite of nursery schools throughout the land, been played out by the Norms. That is, until now.

It all began with the Annunciation. When, 9 months before Christmas day, the Angel Gabriel Norm visited Mary Norm and told her the startling news that she was to give birth to a son called Jesus Norm. Incredulous with disbelief (and having dropped the sponge in shock which only moments before she had been dutifully cleaning her dusty terracotta floor with), Mary could not understand how she, having not indulged in any such…err…action as could be said to lead naturally to the instigation of a pregnancy, was to have a baby. But at that moment a little dove flew through the air, and appeared almost to pierce her belly with life – some would have it that that very dove was the Holy Spirit incarnate.

Norm Nativity: The Annunciation (2013 © Nicholas de Lacy-Brown, pen and gold ink on paper)

And so it was that Mary Norm became pregnant with a little baby Norm who’s name she already knew. But an old writer known as Luke puts it much better than me:

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
For with God nothing shall be impossible.
And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

Luke 1:26-38

Nine months later and with a baby Norm well on its way, it was time for Mary Norm and her new husband Joseph Norm to register their forthcoming baby, and of course for Mary Norm to give birth. Find out what happened in the next instalment of the Norm Nativity… coming soon!

© Nicholas de Lacy-Brown and The Daily Norm, 2001-2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of the material, whether written work, photography or artwork, included within The Daily Norm without express and written permission from The Daily Norm’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Nicholas de Lacy-Brown and The Daily Norm with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. For more information on the work of Nicholas de Lacy-Brown, head to his art website at www.delacy-brown.com