Russell Kraus
St. Louis, (1918-2009)
Annunciation
ink on paper
monogrammed lower right, framed.

A drawing of a tall and slender elegant woman with a modest gaze and long wavy hair wearing an overflowing pleated and exotic paisley dress with a shining halo around her large exotic headgear stands at the center of the page. This is Russell Kraus' version of Mary, and she holds one hand up to humbly receive the good news that she hears from the delicate angel hovering in front of her. The unusually small and unusually female-looking version of the Angel Gabriel (also wearing exotic-looking headgear with a halo around it) tells her that she will bear a child who will be the Son of God, that she will serve as the Mother of God and that she should name her child 'Jesus.' Kraus adds no background context to the scene, no lily (symbolizing the purity of Mary), no white dove (symbolizing the presence of God), and no painted speech (often found on Annunciation scenes); instead Kraus chose to focus directly on Mary receiving this important message directly from the Angel Gabriel. The date is March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation, and exactly 9 months before Christmas, the birth of Christ. The angel in flight holds a tall cross draped with a flag of the cross hanging from it as the news is delivered--which already serves as a clear sign, a premonition of the destiny of Christ in the womb.
22 3/4 x 15 1/4 inches (visible)