The Annunciation 1539 - 1549

Editor: Welcome to the Met. We’re looking at "The Annunciation," a print made sometime between 1539 and 1549 by Jean Cousin the Elder. I’m struck by its stillness, even with the angel bursting onto the scene. It’s like a perfectly paused drama. What pulls you into this piece? Curator: Oh, "poised" is absolutely the word! And I love how Cousin isn’t afraid to be a bit…odd. Like, is that cityscape in the background ancient Rome? A fever dream? It feels simultaneously classical and totally unhinged, doesn't it? Then there's Mary, so composed, but if you look closely, there is definitely something happening there, isn’t there? That play between outer calm and inner turmoil just gets me. Editor: I see what you mean, especially in Mary’s expression! Curator: It's like Cousin's winking at us. The vase with flowers looks serene but notice the grotesque masks—aren’t they slightly devilish? Everything teeters between reverence and rebellion, it seems. That kind of visual poetry...that's what hooks me, every time. Does it resonate for you? Editor: Definitely! I'm seeing all these little details that I would have missed. The dramatic use of line, the odd combination of the everyday object of vase versus otherworldly event, and I guess I’m realizing how much more is going on beyond the surface. Curator: Exactly! And, think about printmaking back then, too, not paintings just for wealthy patrons. This image could be shared, sparking conversations, arguments... Who knows what fires it stoked back then! Art can change how we experience and understand the world. Editor: Well, I know it changed mine, if only a little, today! Thanks for illuminating that. Curator: Anytime! Now, let’s go find another artwork to spark even more delightful trouble...