Leonardo Da Vinci, Annunciation – Uffizi Gallery

ANNUNCIATION BY LEONARDO: ANALYSIS AND CURIOUS FACTS

To Leonardo painting is a mental act, a way to understand reality and nature. In Annunciation by Leonardo, painted when the artist was probably in his early twenties, you can already see its interest in nature and curiosity about phenomena of the world that Renaissance man was trying to understand.

In this post you’ll discover a masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci, housed in the Uffizi Gallery.

The Annunciation by Leonardo

 Works by Leonardo da Vinci are the summary of considerations and thought of a genius.
The Annunciation by Leonardo is one of his early works, probably executed when the artist was still an apprentice in the workshop of Verrocchio. But the brightness of the landscape that gently slopes to the background blurring the outlines of the mountains, and the city you can glimpse among the trees is striking.

ANALYSIS OF THE ANNUNCIATION BY LEONARDO

On the left is the angel Gabriel, on the right is Mary.
The scene depicted in the Annunciation by Leonardo is drawn from the Gospel.

The angel Gabriel has just arrived in front of Mary to announce her that she would be the mother of Jesus. His wings are still spread and he surprises Mary while she is reading.
The Virgin Mary is portrayed with a very beautiful face but with no expression, while that arm leaning against the bookstand looks a bit too long.
If you look at the painting in detail, you can notice flaws and imperfections that disappear, instead, when you look at it as a whole.

Those that seem mistakes are actually Leonardo’s tricks to make the painting more poetic and make us enter the mystery of the birth of Christ.

Looking at the grass and plants of the lawn, then, you feel like you’re looking at a representation of plants known until then, since many are the types of plants described by Leonardo.
In the background, instead, the landscape seems to be built from air and light.

CURIOUS FACTS ABOUT THE ANNUNCIATION BY LEONARDO

The first location of the Annunciation by Leonardo is unknown, but we know for sure that for some centuries hung on the wall of the sacristy of the Church of San Bartolomeo in Monte Oliveto, on the hill of Florence.
The work was moved to Florence, to enter the collection of  the Uffizi Gallery works in 1867.

Besides, the year of execution of the painting is unknown, so it’s very complicated to understand who commissioned it. What is certain is that it belongs to Leonardo’s early artistic production.

WHERE TO ADMIRE THE ANNUNCIATION BY LEONARDO

The Annunciation by Leonardo is part of the Uffizi Gallery collection.
You can find all useful information about booking your ticket and arranging your visit to Florence in the special post dedicated to Uffizi Tickets.