It started when I found this article and photo of the oldest known portrait of Mary the mother of Jesus. http://news.yale.edu/2016/02/12/yale-art-gallery-painting-might-be-oldest-known-image-virgin-mary
This image of a woman drawing water from a well once decorated the baptistry of an early Christian house-church in Dura-Europos. It's from about 250 AD and shows the annunciation.
This surprised me since I had never heard before that the annunciation was supposed to have taken place at a well. When I looked into this, I found out that this is a well known tradition, and that there is still a place in Nazareth called Mary's well.
This is an older photo/postcard which I imagine is closer to what it looked like at the 1st Century AD.
I am not a "classical" artist, so I hope you forgive my attempt to render the event. I used a "veil" of glowing painting to somewhat mask the angel depending on the light and direction from which you view the painting.
This surprised me since I had never heard before that the annunciation was supposed to have taken place at a well. When I looked into this, I found out that this is a well known tradition, and that there is still a place in Nazareth called Mary's well.
This is an older photo/postcard which I imagine is closer to what it looked like at the 1st Century AD.
I am not a "classical" artist, so I hope you forgive my attempt to render the event. I used a "veil" of glowing painting to somewhat mask the angel depending on the light and direction from which you view the painting.
Matted 16X20- acrylic on canvas paper
