Audio Stop 201

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A woman and winged angel, both with pale, peach skin, are situated in a church interior in this tall, narrow painting. To our left, the angel has long, blond, curly hair, smooth skin, and is smiling. The wings are outlined in royal blue, and they blend from blue to green to yellow to crimson. The angel holds one hand, closer to us, up at chest height with the index finger subtly pointing upward. Holding a long scepter in the other hand, the angel angles their body toward the woman to our right. The angel wears a gold jewel and pearl-encrusted crown and a jeweled long, voluminous robe in scarlet-red and shimmering gold brocade. The neck and along the opening down the front are lined with pearls and jewels. The angel looks toward the woman, who wears a royal-blue dress tied with a red belt at the high waist. Her long brown hair is tied back but one tendril falls over her left shoulder, to our right. She kneels facing us with her raised hands facing outward. Her head is tipped a bit to our left, and she looks up and into the distance to our right with lips slightly parted. She kneels behind a book lying open on a low table. A vase of white lilies and a red cushion lies on the floor in front of the table, close to us. The floor is decorated with people and scenes outlined in black and set into square panels, as if inlaid with wood. The church behind and above the people has a row of tall, narrow arches with bull’s-eye glass windows. A walkway lined with columns runs above the arches, and sunlight comes in through arched windows under the flat wood ceiling. A white dove flies toward the woman on gold lines from a window at the upper left of the painting. Latin words painted in gold capital letters are exchanged between the people. The angel says, “AVE GRA PLENA.” The letters of the woman’s response are painted upside down and backward: “ECCE ANCILLA DNI.”

Jan van Eyck

The Annunciation, c. 1434/1436

West Building, Main Floor — Gallery 39

Broadway set designer Anna Louizos explores the drama and setting of Van Eyck’s painting.

Read full audio transcript

NARRATOR:
This painting made in the 1430s invites us to witness an extraordinary moment in Christianity, as the Angel Gabriel delivers Mary a message from God, that she will bear his son, Jesus. The Netherlandish artist Jan van Eyck’s way of telling the story has a lot in common with theater design. For a start, look how he positioned the figures.

ANNA LOUIZOS:
It's almost like they're facing the audience, in a way.

My name is Anna Louizos. I'm a set designer. Some of my notable Broadway shows have been In the Heights, Avenue Q, and School of Rock.

The techniques that van Eyck seems to be using in this painting are very similar to what set designers would do - you create layers to create a sense of depth, and to ground these characters in a space that seems real.

NARRATOR:
The Angel and Mary are shown within a detailed church setting with dramatic lighting streaming through the windows.

ANNA LOUIZOS:
They're surrounded by elements - props - that you would have onstage.

NARRATOR:
These include a dove representing the Holy Spirit and white lilies symbolizing Mary’s purity. Her heavenly blue robe – another symbolic element – contrasts beautifully with Gabriel’s richly brocaded garments and rainbow wings.

ANNA LOUIZOS:
And so you have these two very vivid colors against this kind of neutral earth-tone brown background, which really pops the characters.

He’s done it all - he's a set designer, he's a costume designer and he's a lighting designer. He's put it all together in this beautiful painting, and has manipulated us into looking where he wants us to look. The longer you look at it, the more you see – it’s really incredible.

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