Today is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. By this profound mystery the Virgin Mary became the earthly vessel that carried the Son of God into our world.
As Serrans, we see Mary not only as the Mother of God, but also as the Mother of Vocations. And so today, by way of this email, we invite you, as Serrans, to reflect, through art, upon the moment that Mary said "Yes" to her own vocation: when the angel Gabriel appeared to her at the Annunciation.
The event as described by Luke (1:26-38) has provided limitless inspiration to artists, both obscure and masters, over the centuries. Traditionally, the scene is translated as in the Da Vinci painting above: the angel appears to the left of the tableau in profile, pointing or gesturing with one hand, holding a stalk of white lilies in the other. Often a scroll of words from the Ave Maria emerges from the angel. Mary is usually seated and reading (sometimes working yarn), turned three-quarters or fully toward the viewer, in some way showing surprise at the angel's appearance. Almost always, the setting is an enclosed garden (in Latin, hortus conclusus) or other interior space, offset by a veil or window to the outside world, symbolizing Mary's untouched, self-contained, fertility.
Over time, artists have brought forth different interpretations of the Annunciation. What does your vision of the Annunciation look like? |
