At first glance, the painting Annunciation, by Tanner, depicts a sense of warmth and calmness. This is mostly caused by the facial expression of the woman in the painting and the slightly opaque colors. However, after a more careful view of the painting, these feelings transform into a sense of amazement and possibly wonder. A peculiar gold-like, glowing light in front of the woman character that almost conceals itself with the opaque, yellow color of the walls, makes the viewer wonder about the possibility of such an object. To call it an object would not be fully correct, since it is more like a shapeless glow floating in mid-air that could be considered mystical. In this painting, Tanner could be describing the Christian story of the Virgin Mary’s conception into the heavens. In fact, it can be shown that Tanner’s purpose in this painting is to evoke a sense of spirituality and mysticism in the viewer due to the image’s composition, line structure, and use of color.
The composition of the painting is the most important aspect because it suggests unity, and it is well balanced. The focal object is who seems to be the Virgin Mary mainly because she is positioned near the center of the image, capturing the first glimpse. However, after a more thorough evaluation, one can notice the presence of the mystical light to the left of the Virgin Mary, almost the same distance as her from the center of the image. This symmetrical balance between the two characters gives a sense of a unified whole, which relates to the Christian principles of Christianity of one God. This can be shown through the religious idea of one father, one son, and one Holy Spirit and yet one wholly God. In a similar manner, even though the Virgin Mary is the central viewpoint of the image, she is also sharing the center point of the image with what is thought of being an angelic light. In sum, the composition of the picture is the major factor that describes the nature of the painter’s attitude towards the painting; that it resembles the God’s likeness for symmetry.
The composition of the painting is the most important aspect because it suggests unity, and it is well balanced. The focal object is who seems to be the Virgin Mary mainly because she is positioned near the center of the image, capturing the first glimpse. However, after a more thorough evaluation, one can notice the presence of the mystical light to the left of the Virgin Mary, almost the same distance as her from the center of the image. This symmetrical balance between the two characters gives a sense of a unified whole, which relates to the Christian principles of Christianity of one God. This can be shown through the religious idea of one father, one son, and one Holy Spirit and yet one wholly God. In a similar manner, even though the Virgin Mary is the central viewpoint of the image, she is also sharing the center point of the image with what is thought of being an angelic light. In sum, the composition of the picture is the major factor that describes the nature of the painter’s attitude towards the painting; that it resembles the God’s likeness for symmetry.
Second, the use of line of sight and implied lines helps the overall goal of the painting for unity. The Virgin Mary as the focal point of the picture causes attention to be directed at her first. This attention is then moved towards the “angelic” light by the line of sight she makes by looking straight at the object. Furthermore, the objects that surround the Virgin Mary also lead the viewers towards the “angelic” light. For example, the rug on which this woman is partly positioned on leads the viewer towards the amorphous light by looking at the diagonal outer lines of the rug. Based on the implied meaning of diagonal lines, these may indicate motion, which is most likely their purpose, because they lead towards the other object. There is also a blanket on the back wall behind the woman with two horizontal lines. These two lines “go” behind the woman character and lead towards the other main object. As a result, the use of geometric lines is of great importance in the image because it contributes towards Tanner’s religious unity in his painting.
Furthermore, color adds a realistic perception to the painting. It also indicates the painting’s spiritual nature. For instance, the walls of the room seem to be of an opaque yellow, which intensify as they get closer to the amorphous light, which is of gold-like color. This color is known for being consistent and pure, because it is a pure element, and, in finance, it always has a consistent, non-fluctuating value. This description resembles the nature of the Christian God, of which the painting is related to through the conception of the Virgin Mary. It can also be argued that Tanner used yellow as the color of the walls because it provokes a sense of kindness and it also encloses both the women character and the “angelic” light, thereby uniting them into one.
In conclusion, these three elements of composition, lines, and color support the idea that Tanner painted a representation of a religious story. This is the Christian concept of God’s symmetrical unity that in this case is represented through the Virgin Mary. The painting accurately makes use of geometrical lines, and color to symbolize God’s unity. It also evokes a sense of peacefulness because of the “path” the eyes take in the image. First, the Virgin Mary as the focal point catches the first glimpse, then the lines on the back blanket and the outer corners of the rug lead towards the “angelic” light. In conjunction with the elements of composition and color, all of these elements support the title “Annunciation,” which announce to the reader the meaning of the elements as a religious representation.
Works Cited
Barnet, S. (2011). A Short Guide To Writing About Art. New Jersey: Pearson.
Furthermore, color adds a realistic perception to the painting. It also indicates the painting’s spiritual nature. For instance, the walls of the room seem to be of an opaque yellow, which intensify as they get closer to the amorphous light, which is of gold-like color. This color is known for being consistent and pure, because it is a pure element, and, in finance, it always has a consistent, non-fluctuating value. This description resembles the nature of the Christian God, of which the painting is related to through the conception of the Virgin Mary. It can also be argued that Tanner used yellow as the color of the walls because it provokes a sense of kindness and it also encloses both the women character and the “angelic” light, thereby uniting them into one.
In conclusion, these three elements of composition, lines, and color support the idea that Tanner painted a representation of a religious story. This is the Christian concept of God’s symmetrical unity that in this case is represented through the Virgin Mary. The painting accurately makes use of geometrical lines, and color to symbolize God’s unity. It also evokes a sense of peacefulness because of the “path” the eyes take in the image. First, the Virgin Mary as the focal point catches the first glimpse, then the lines on the back blanket and the outer corners of the rug lead towards the “angelic” light. In conjunction with the elements of composition and color, all of these elements support the title “Annunciation,” which announce to the reader the meaning of the elements as a religious representation.
Works Cited
Barnet, S. (2011). A Short Guide To Writing About Art. New Jersey: Pearson.