Leonardo Da Vinci's Annunciation

Will humanism or science ever be strong enough to defeat the belief that there is a stronger force than humans? Humanism was a large part of the Renaissance, which was a rebirth for Europe and a change from the dark ages. It was an optimistic time where human productivity was at its finest. Leonardo da Vinci and Andrea del Verrocchio are famous artists who were influenced by the Renaissance. They began painting the Annunciation in 1472 and finished it three years later in 1475. It should be noted that the painting is meant to be viewed from the the right and a little below. Leonardo da Vinci’s Annunciation represented the effects of the Renaissance. The artwork showed the changes of mediums in art, as well as the changes in beliefs during this
era, but did not have as significant of an effect on the details in the artwork.
Firstly, the Renaissance affected the mediums that Leonardo and Andrea used in the Annunciation, but did not have as significant of an effect on the details in the artwork. The Annunciation, which was a collaboration between Leonardo and his mentor, Andrea del Verrocchio, was made out of two mediums: oil and tempera. The colours that an artist could achieve using only tempera were limited, however it remained to be a popular medium for artists in Italy mainly because of its durability. Oil paints, though, allowed artists to easily add effects to their paintings and make edits during the drying process and so they became more popular during the later half of the 15th century. Leonardo and Andrea began working on this painting in 1472, which meant that they easily had access to the oil paints used in their painting. Oil paints became more popular during the Renaissance because they allowed artists to make the colours that were necessary to paint the human figure. The beauty of the human figure was an important aspect of the Renaissance, humanism. Leonardo and Andrea took advantage of the oil paints and could better represent the beauty of the human figure.
It is possible that Andrea used tempera and Leonardo used oil paints. This is because they both had very different styles of paintings. Andrea used heavy brush strokes whereas Leonardo used light brush strokes. The Renaissance did not only have an intangible effect on art, but also had a tangible effect.
Secondly, the subject of the painting may have been influenced, however the details in the painting were untouched by the Renaissance. To begin, the colours of the people in the painting were realistic. As stated earlier, Leonardo and Andrea took advantage of the oil paints in order to better represent the beauty of the human figure. The beauty of the human figure inspired humanism. Furthermore, the painting depicts a scene where the Angel Gabriel announces to the Virgin Mary that she is to carry and nurse God’s son, Jesus. By painting the Annunciation, the artists are connecting the Renaissance and the Annunciation (event) together. The painting is an allusion connecting the two time periods together. The Renaissance is similar to the Annunciation because both are thought to have been a turning point for mankind and both are thought to be optimistic moments for humans. Just like in The School of Athens, the artist changes the colours of
clothing to better convey a meaning. Azure blue, red, and gold all have hidden meanings. Azure blue means being close to god; red symbolizes sacrifice and is an allusion to Christ’s future; gold symbolizes power and the eternal glory of god. Leonardo intentionally used gold for the fabric over Mary’s womb to symbolize that Mary would be the mother of Jesus. This part of the artwork was not affected by the Renaissance. If the Renaissance did have a major effect on the painting, then the colours would not be used to show the power of god. In addition, the shape of the number three is a very important part of the Annunciation and symbolizes the Holy Trinity. An example of the shape can be found in one of the trees in the background. The trees intentionally have an odd style so that multiple three shapes would be created. The shape of the number three symbolizes the Holy Trinity, which is made up of Jesus, his father, and the Holy Spirit. It is said that the members of the Holy Trinity are distinct, but remain to be one essence. Once again, the painting is not influenced by the Renaissance. This painting is showing that people’s belief in god was not changed, only their belief in humanism was. On the topic of the background, lots of rich vegetation can be spotted. The garden has fruit, flowers, and fountains. The nature resembles optimism and the good fortune that will come from the future birth of Christ. The birth of Christ is an allusion to the Renaissance. The artist still believes in god and is trying to connect the goodness that came from the birth of Christ to the goodness that will come from the Renaissance. Moreover, all the details in the painting direct the audience towards Mary. Mary is emphasized using the dark wall, and the house’s cornerstones. Also, the height, width, and depth of the painting all point towards Mary. The gray and foggy sky in the background are meant to direct the audience to the front of the painting. The painting focuses on Mary because the main idea of painting is that the Renaissance would bring good fortune. Mary was pure and integrable, which is why the artist highlighted her. The artist used her to try and emphasize the goodness of the Renaissance. The Renaissance chose the subject of the painting, but was unable to influence the details of it.
Finally, Leonardo da Vinci had mixed feelings about the Renaissance and expressed them in his painting.
He was willing to move forward with the Renaissance, but continued to respect the past. First and foremost, in the background of this painting, ships can be spotted. It is unusual for Leonardo to have ships in the backgrounds of his paintings. The ships in the background were Renaissance ships. To be specific, they were called Cogs. Leonardo might have been willing to go against his usual style of art for this piece because he was in favour of the Renaissance. Continuing on, this painting takes place in the Florentine palace garden. The palace was a building of Renaissance architecture, which is unusual for Italian Renaissance art. Typically, Italian Renaissance art has buildings with Gothic architecture. This might mean that Leonardo was influenced by the Renaissance and so decided to paint a Renaissance building instead of a Gothic building. Even though it may seem that Leonardo is in favour of the Renaissance, the artwork is completely about god. The painting connects the Renaissance to the Annunciation. It connects the power of humans to the power of god. This completely contradicts the Renaissance. The Renaissance is about what humans can do, not what gods can do. Continuing on, even though oil paints were widely available during da Vinci’s time and tempera was not the ideal medium or as popular, da Vinci continued to use both mediums to create his painting. This was
probably to show his respect for the past. Leonardo openly embraced the Renaissance, but was unwilling to let go of the past.
In conclusion, Leonardo and Andrea did an adequate job at showing how the Renaissance changed art. Their artwork displayed the medium changes in art, as well as the changes in beliefs, however the details of the artwork were not as significantly affected. The Renaissance was unable to completely remove the belief of god. Humanism remains strong, but is unable to defeat religion and the belief of a greater force. Will god ever be defeated by the science of humans? Or will humans always consider themselves weaker than god?