The Annunciation By Fra Lippi

“The Annunciation” by Fra Filippo Lippi is an egg tempera on wood panel painting clearly from the Early Renaissance. The Annunciation of Mary is depicted in this painting with Angel Gabriel, the hand of God, a dove symbolizing the Holy Spirit and Mary. A slightly bowing Mary and Angel Gabriel are in correct proportion in this painting. The form of their bodies is seen underneath the drapery of their clothes creating a naturalistic effect. Rich colors and depth create a three-dimensional effect to this painting. Detail by the artist to have correct human anatomy is present along with an emphasis on the spiritual aspects of the painting. Gabriel and Mary have intricate gold halos symbolizing their holiness, Gabriel's wings are gorgeously adorned with a peacock feather print and the …show more content…
This not only forces the viewer to take a step back and admire the landscape of the painting but also adds to the story of the Annunciation of Mary in which Mary was most likely in complete awe of the Angel and kept a distance from him. Though a three-dimensional effect is present in the figures and their clothes through the use of modeling, the illusion of space with the tiles on the floor was not perfect. Alberti’s “On Painting” was only written about 15-20 years before this painting was created, so his formula on linear perspective was not fully used by the artist. The tiles on the floor have a slight aspect of getting smaller when going back in space but the overall layout of the room was not created perfectly using the elements of linear perspective. This painting is very similar to the “Announcement of Death to the Virgin” 1308-11 by Duccio Di Buoninsegna. Both paintings tell the same story and both are tempera on wood panel. They are slightly different due to the fact that Fra Filippo Lippi has some concept of linear perspective, while Duccio’s painting does