Verkondiging aan de herders 1794

Curator: Ah, look at this engraving! It’s entitled “Verkondiging aan de herders,” or “Annunciation to the Shepherds,” made in 1794. The artist behind it is William Skelton. What strikes you first? Editor: Well, there's such a sharp contrast between the divine radiance on one side and that earthy slumber of the shepherds. Like a tear in reality! I immediately think about the jarring moment someone's ordinary world is intersected by something totally extraordinary. Curator: Yes, that tension! And the way he uses light, really emphasizes that rupture. What symbols or familiar themes are popping up for you here? Editor: Right away I notice the cloud of angels, figures billowing from it! That cloud is like the messenger itself, embodying the mystery. Traditionally, clouds have always been used as symbols of transition, signals, and the in-between places, liminal states. The pastoral setting with the shepherds asleep and the intrusion of the divine light… it's a real juxtaposition! Curator: The composition’s brilliant. Skelton uses a diagonal to split the divine from the mortal world, a device we often find in Romanticism to portray drama and grand narratives. Do you think the artist leans one way or the other? Mortal or divine? Editor: The fact that some shepherds react in such visceral terror suggests that there isn’t much space for rationalising divine intrusion. It feels like this artwork reminds us that every interruption has a consequence. It almost plays on our fears – anxieties that we often ignore or refuse to deal with – that will change us in time and alter how we move forward in life. Curator: I never thought about it in that particular way before! Editor: Thinking about images this way gives them, well, more depth! You begin to explore ideas from so many vantage points… that’s the only reason they stick around so long, you know? They ask a new question for every generation! Curator: That's really quite interesting. A fresh insight! Editor: Always more than meets the eye at first, I like that feeling, actually. It's not unlike meeting people!