The Annunciation 1890

Carl Bloch painted The Annunciation using oil on canvas, an established medium in 19th-century academic art. Look closely, and you’ll notice the way Bloch applies paint to build form and capture light. Mary’s dress isn’t just red; it’s built up with layers of translucent glazes, each brushstroke carefully placed to create depth and luminosity. This approach, passed down through generations of workshop practice, allowed artists to mimic the textures and colors of the real world. And it required not just talent, but intensive labor. The smooth surface of the painting hides much of this effort. It’s easy to overlook the hours of grinding pigments, preparing canvases, and painstakingly layering paint that went into creating this image. By understanding the materials and processes behind The Annunciation, we can better appreciate the skill involved and challenge the idea that paintings are simply about artistic genius. They are the product of material knowledge, technical expertise, and countless hours of labor.