CORY REYNOLDS | DATE 4/1/2019

Order 'The Christian Year in Painting' in time for Easter

Originally thought to have been painted by Fra Angelico, this c. 1440–45 rendition of "The Annunciation" has recently been attributed to Zanobi Strozzi, one of the Dominican master's students. It is reproduced from The Christian Year in Painting—which gathers 30 art historical works celebrating the key events of the liturgical calendar—in the section devoted to Lent. "When Mary asks Gabriel how she can give birth to a son, since she is a virgin, the angel replies: 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you,'" John S. Dixon writes in a chapter analyzing all of the painting's symbolic elements. "…We are shown the moment of Mary's 'reflection' on Gabriel's message. Her positive response will lead to the Incarnation of the Son of God. But Strozzi is able, through his imagery and within a coherent narrative scene, to produce a great many relevant resonances. He relates the moment depicted to the baptism of Jesus, to the 'living waters' of his message to humanity, to his death on the cross and to his resurrection; while we are reminded of the Church he established and the sacraments it administers, particularly the Eucharist, when water is mixed with the wine, as it was with Christ's blood on Calvary. We could, in fact, say that Strozzi, in one and a half square meters, offers a synopsis of much of St Luke's gospel and a little of his Acts of the Apostles as well."