Annunciation 1600

El Greco painted this ‘Annunciation’ on canvas in the late 16th or early 17th century. It depicts the angel Gabriel's arrival to announce to Mary that she will conceive and bear the Son of God. The dove, a visual metaphor for the Holy Spirit, descends towards her. The motif of the dove as a symbol of divine presence appears across cultures and epochs, from ancient Mesopotamian religions to its adoption in Christian iconography. The gesture of the angel, hand raised in announcement, is a convention that echoes through art history, seen in classical depictions of orators and gods. Yet, El Greco’s unique style—the elongated figures and ethereal light—injects a psychological tension. Mary’s surprised expression conveys the overwhelming nature of the divine encounter. The motifs of the dove and raised hand are imbued with a sense of divine power and destiny, resonating with our collective memory of similar scenes throughout art history. These symbols recur, continuously re-emerging with fresh emotional intensity.