Our first group project was to take a 15th century Renaissance painting and reproduce it through photography. After some hasty brainstorming, Andy, Devin and I settled on Antonello da Messina’s Munich “Virgin Annunciate” (as opposed to the version housed in Palermo) for its natural beauty and simplicity.

Pictured here, understandably, is the Virgin Mary experiencing the unseen Angel of the Annunciation. Completed around 1473, this was the first of two annunciation paintings Messina would complete, the other finished around 1475, with the second receiving notably more fame than the first. Messina was known for his use of Flemish painting styles, which he is generally credited with introducing to the Renaissance art world.

Recreating this painting came with some difficulties, as you might imagine. As Andy put it, making something that is inherently unreal become real is a tricky process. We began by gathering our necessary props: a blue shawl, gold chain, brown blankets, a book, and a red box. Once we had the scene assembled, I taped and paper-clipped my hair back, attached a gold chain to my forehead, and draped myself with the blue curtain we were borrowing from Andy’s closet.

How does one mimic something that’s two dimensional? Something that’s the product of someone’s mind? The answer: lots of finicky details. Devin devoted energy to getting my hands positioned just right, while Andy would carefully tug on the blue fabric to try and get all the correct folds.

We settled on a light source that came directly from my right, but we still didn’t manage to get the same contrast as seen in Messina’s painting. He manages to divide Mary’s lighting down the middle, with one side brightly exposed and the other in shadow, while still keeping all of the items on the table equally lit.

It also became clear that Mary’s fingers were positioned in a potentially inhuman fashion. The bending of her right pinky makes it appear broken, and was impossible for me to mimic. She also appears to bear an terribly high, hairless forehead. None of us could manage to keep my face from being completely shrouded while also not showing any hair.

And so, without further ado,  we present to you: Andy, Devin, and Collin’s “Virgin Annunciate” (2013, digital photo).