The Annunciation 1914

John William Waterhouse painted The Annunciation using oil on canvas. With its rich color palette, it’s easy to see how oil paints would have enabled Waterhouse to build up layers of color and achieve those subtle gradations. But look closer and you’ll see how the painting’s narrative connects to the materials depicted. A ball of thread sits at Mary’s feet, suggesting her work as a weaver. The significance of the woven cloth is that it creates a direct link to Mary’s domestic labor, and the tools of her trade. It transforms her humble task into a sacred duty. Waterhouse’s attention to the textures of textiles and the rough surfaces of the stone architecture shows his appreciation for the beauty of ordinary materials. By placing these everyday elements alongside the divine, Waterhouse suggests that the sacred can be found in the mundane details of life, challenging the distinction between art and craft.