Principles of Design: Leonardo da Vinci's Annunciation

 Annunciation, 1472

Leonardo da Vinci

Tempera on wood, 98 x 217 cm

Wikipedia Creative Commons

Leonardo da Vinci is truly a Renaissance polymath, known for his excellence in most every field that he dipped his toe into. His ‘genius,’ as Vasari lives to call it, is perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance humanist ideal. Whereas many artists produce their greatest works later on, most all of da Vinci’s works from his early life to his later years are masterpieces. The Annunciation completed around 1472 for the sacristy of San Bartolommeo of Monteoliveto, is no exception. Even though this piece was created in Leonardo’s early days, when he was still an apprentice under his master Andrea del Verrocchio, the predella already illustrates da Vinci’s carful attention to the atmospheric changes in the landscape and the magic and unreal atmosphere created by mountains, water and sky. The girl, interrupted in her reading by this unexpected messenger, puts a finger in her bible to mark the place and raises her hand in a formal gesture of greeting or surprise. Visually the Annunciation is a beautiful piece, each design element working together, in a unique balance.

     Unity and variety:

In Annunciation the uniting factor behind the piece is its color scheme. The unity throughout the whole piece is created through the balance. Instead of having competing forces all around the painting, the colors works together from the darker tones in the grass and on Archangel Gabriel to the shadows inside of Mary’s room on the right. The darks in the trees in addition to their pointed shapes serve to move the eye up and out of the center as well as back into it 

  Balance:

The Virgin Mary close-up

In addition to the great balance of colors and shades, the figures and objects in the painting are spread throughout the plane. Gabriel kneels on the left while the Virgin Mary is seated on the right; so that the figures act as weights in the frame, separate entities, but interacting nonetheless creating a horizontal balance.

 Emphasis and focal point:

      The focal point of the piece seems to be the Virgin. The implied line from Gabriel’s outstretched  arm draws the eye to Mary. Her head clearly contrasts with the dark wall and the cornerstones whose parallel lines are converging on her and thereby framing her body. Da Vinci’s choice in color for the Virgin also elevates her significance, as light seems to radiate out from her hair and face.

  Rhythm: 
      Leonardo is a master painter through his subtle use of rhythm and thereby repetition throughout the piece. The orderly progression of the dark, individual blades of grass in addition to the lighter, wildflowers serve to move the eye gradually between the two figures. Other points of repetition include the folds and ripples in the cloth of both figures as well as the four, evenly spaced Cyprus trees in the landscape.

Close up of repetition in the plants

        Scale:

Da Vinci did not appear to adjust the scale in the painting, choosing to portray both figures the same size, thereby refusing to give one figure more dominance or importance over the other. The scale of the trees and the landscape in general serve to provide depth to the piece and elevate the painting from previous two-dimensional piece.
Proportion:

Throughout most of the painting the proportion appears to be spot on with one     exception, Mary. There is a conspicuous perspectival mistake: her right arm had to be painted too long proportionally, so that, despite her seated position, it would still be able to depict the impressive position other hand over the table holding the Bible.