Annunciation with Floating Head

This painting was inspired by Fra Angelico’s ANNUNCIATION. I took a surreal/mystical approach to the subject. St.Gabriel’s message telling Mary that she would bear the long awaited Messiah was a lot to take in—in a word, surreal.

Gabriel’s head and hand float on an abstractly designed plane, suggesting his otherworldliness. Mary, head bowed, crosses her heart in submission. God looks down approvingly through the circular hole above. The Holy Spirit intercedes, riding an arc of golden light. The upper left corner is a reference to the Fall in Genesis which features an avenging angel with a sword in hand, who ushers Adam and Eve out of Paradise. 

The Bible at Mary’s feet tells the story of a baby Messiah who will soon usher man back into Paradise. God’s plans can be delayed and even circuitous but they will never fail!