Elise Ansel gloriously revisits Calvaert’s ‘Annunciation’ at BowdoiN

The painter remakes a classic scene with brushy bravado in this small show that runs through April 17

Elise Ansel’s “Distant Mirrors” is a small show in which the painter presents a series of drawings and paintings that comprise a sort of visual investigation of Denys Calvaert’s “Annunciation” (ca. 1595) owned by the Bowdoin College Museum of Art.

It is a gorgeous and engaging exhibition of a scale typical of most gallery shows, that naturally divides into three parts. The first part is Calvaert’s “Annunciation.” Next is a suite of Ansel’s scratchy, jumpy and descriptive short-hand style drawings. The ultimate component is Ansel’s deliriously luscious oil versions of the Calvaert.