El Greco 1541 – 1614

The Annunciation (1576)

oil on canvas (117 × 98 cm) — c. 1576 Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid

El Greco biography

This work is linked to Luke 1:28

While reading at a desk, Mary is visited by the archangel Gabriel. He tells her the message from God: she will soon have a son.

The setting is quite plain: a floor with lines to suggest depth, a curtain for closure and a desk.

This is one of the many Annunciations that El Greco made. This one may have been made while he was still in Italy, given the Venetian style features such as light and colours. Some 25 years later El Greco made this version.

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