Venetian School
The Annunciation
16th century
Church of San Vidal, Venice
As in Tintoretto's treatment in the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, the angel in this Annunciation flies into the scene and is not separated from Mary by any architectural element. Also like Tintoretto, the artist has sought to deal with the word "overshadow" in Luke 1:35, "the power of the most high will overshadow you." The cornice and the cavorting putti cast a shadow on the right side of Mary's face, neck, and shoulders.
In the clouds above, the Father sends down the Holy Spirit, traditionally pictured in Annunciations as a dove. A beam of light emerges from the dove's beak, lights up the knee of one of the putti below, and somehow seems to illuminate the left side of Mary's face.
At Mary's left elbow is a book attests to her understanding of scripture. The book was first introduced into an Annunciation image in the 9th century and became common in the 12th.
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Photographed at the church by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.