The Bible In Paintings: GABRIEL'S AMAZING NEWS FOR MARY, Part 1

[Hebrews 11:6]

The Bible In Paintings 2
ENCOURAGEMENT FOR APPRECIATING AND APPLYING GOD'S WORD

GABRIEL'S
AMAZING NEWS
FOR MARY

L U K E
CHAPTER 1

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.”

“I AM THE LORD’S SERVANT,” Mary answered. “MAY IT BE TO ME AS YOU HAVE SAID.” Then the angel left her.

1
AUGUSTE PICHON
"The Annunciation"

2
JEN NORTON
"The Annunciation"

3
HENRY OSSAWA TANNER
"The Annunciation"

4
BILL BELL
"Hail Mary"

5
MIKE MOYERS
"The Annunciation"

6
GIOVANNI ODAZZI
"The Annunciation"

7
WILLIAM BRASSEY HOLE
"The Annunciation"

8
LEONARDO DA VINCI
"The Annunciation"

9
BARTOLOME ESTEBAN MURILLO
"The Annunciation"

10
SVITOZAR NENYUK
"Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary"

11
JOHN WILLIAM WATERHOUSE
"The Annunciation"

12
FRANK PICKFORD MARRIOTT
"The Annunciation"

13
ANDREEA BAGIU
"The Annunciation"

14
FRANCOIS LEMOYNE
"The Annunciation"

15
BENEDETTO BONFIGLI
"The Annunciation"

16
EL GRECO
"The Annunciation"

17
EL GRECO
"The Annunciation"

18
EL GRECO
"The Annunciation"

19
SANDRO BOTTICELLI
"Annunciation"

20
SANDRO BOTTICELLI
"Annunciation"

21
ZANOBI STROZZI
"Annunciation"

22
GERARD DAVID
"The Annunciation"

23
GIROLAMO DA SANTACROCE
"The Annunciation"

24
TITIAN
"The Annunciation"

25
FRANCESCO SOLIMENA
"The Annunciation"

26
JAN PROVOOST
"Annunciation"

27
MATTHIAS STOM
"The Annunciation"

28
JODI SIMMONS
"Annunciation"

29
PHILIPPE DE CHAMPAIGNE
"The Annunciation"

30
LUIS JUAREZ
"The Annunciation"

→ a n d... f i n a l l y ←

31
EDWARD COLEY BURNE-JONES
"The Annunciation"

To be continued…

New International Version ©1984, EMPHASES Added
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[Hebrews 11:6]

Glad you worked it out.

[BatGuano]

Beautiful paintings, stunning, for sure.
The presenting of Gabriel as a bright light is excellent.

[Hebrews 11:6]

The presenting of Gabriel as a bright light is excellent.

In thinking about your observation, it strikes me that (a) angels may assume any form when manifesting themselves in our world, (b) the text gives us no hint how Gabriel looked to Mary (if, indeed, he manifested visually at all), and therefore (c) artists have carte blanche to depict him in any way they wish.

While I prepare these threads, often I wonder how I would paint a given scene. Seems to me that a bright light would be a good choice for Gabriel.