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The painting depicts two women meeting. The older woman on the right kisses her companion's hand and gently touches the younger woman's stomach with her left hand. The figure on the left has long, golden brown, wavy hair that falls under a white, turban-like cloth wrapped around her head. The end of the fabric hanging down her back, like her hair, is blowing in the breeze. The female figure wears a blue cloak over her long peach-coloured dress, a golden belt tied around her waist and a white shirt peeking out from under her dress. Her slender and graceful figure forms a strong S-shape, with her belly pushed forward. The head of the female figure standing next to her is also covered with a light turban-like twisted scarf. Her clothing consists of a golden-coloured shirt, a grey and white dress, and a bright red cloak with a green lining. The folds of both women's floor-length dresses and cloaks give a sense of the weight of the fabric.

The two women are standing in a natural landscape. In the foreground are flowers, while in the distance, green foliage and dry branches alternate. Then sharp rocks, walled towering cities, and high mountains appear, and the blue sky is replaced by a reddish gilding. In the foreground of the painting, blue irises, ripe strawberries, and red peonies carry additional meaning for those in the know.

The painting once adorned the altar of St. Catherine's Church in Selmecbánya, along with several other panels and life-size wooden statues of saints. Their creator is referred to as Master MS, but the artist's identity behind the monogram remains unknown to this day. The panel painting was created in 1506, along with several others, and decorated the Church of St. Catherine in the former wealthy mining town of Selmecbánya, now in Slovakia. Contemporary believers easily understood the symbolism of the elements in the picture, but today, they require a little explanation. Let's see what the 140x95 cm painting on Linden wood depicts.

The panel painting depicts the biblical scene of the Visitation when the Virgin Mary visits her elderly relative, Elizabeth, after the Annunciation. At their meeting, Elizabeth already has John the Baptist under her heart. However, according to the Gospel of Luke, she still greets her relative: "In those days Mary set out and went with haste to the hill country, to a town in Judah. She entered Zechariah's house and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby in her womb leapt. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! How is it possible that the mother of my Lord should come to me? When I heard your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy.

The older woman on the right is Elizabeth, while the figure on the left is Mary. Both women's hands—with their touching and pointing gestures—draw attention to Mary's womb, although at this point, Mary's immaculate conception was not yet known. The clothing of the two figures is interesting, as they are not wearing the clothing of biblical times but rather the bourgeois clothing typical of the time when the painting was created, in the early 16th century. The natural landscape surrounding the scene is also full of references and symbols. The rocky landscape, mountains, and cities in the background depict regions far from Israel, while the sharp rocks and dried-up trees foreshadow Jesus' death. Contemporary viewers would have easily understood the meaning of the plants in the foreground: the sword-like leaves of the blue iris refer to Mary's later pain at the loss of her son. The strawberry in the centre, with its three leaves, refers to the Holy Trinity, while its five petals represent the five wounds of Christ on the cross, and the red colour of its fruit refers to the blood of Christ and the Passion. On the right-hand side, the artist painted a Pentecostal rose, which, as a rose without thorns, symbolizes the immaculate conception.

MS Master's Visitation and the other surviving panels from the Selmecbánya altar can be viewed until July 20, 2025, at the temporary exhibition of the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest.

Audio narration (AN) is a form of accessibility for the blind and partially sighted. It involves trained professionals transcribing and interpreting visual, visible information for the person concerned.

The main areas of use of AN are:

• theatre performances

• television programmes (films, series)

• film offerings from streaming service providers

• exhibitions

• sports events

AN can be enjoyed live in theatres and stadiums using special transceivers. Audio tracks recorded in the studio or produced using software, so-called "authoring tools," can be accessed on the appropriate platforms on an on/off basis.

Where can I find AN?

ADD On Budapest's ever-expanding body of work can be accessed via the about section of the international team's website.

The work of an audio narrator is a complex, creative process. Writers need to understand the story and structure of the film. They also need to understand the specific intentions and style of the director and creators based on visual elements.

Time constraints

Because there is minimal time for voice-over descriptions during breaks between original dialogue, narrators are often faced with important decisions about what they can still share with the audience and what they have to let go. What's certain is that everything necessary to understand the plot thread is included in the narrative in one way or another. Sometimes, however, all this occurs before or after the events on screen.

The speed of narration is sometimes faster than the general pace of speech. However, professionals do their best to monitor what the audience can absorb after listening.

Consistency

Narration becomes easy to understand when it fits into the film. One of the keys to this is that the texts are structured according to a kind of logic, so the human brain quickly gets used to the logic of receiving information.

A good narrator does not "jump around" in space during a long description and gives what he or she sees along a consistent grammatical system, avoiding the repetition of words.

Objectivity

As they say in the trade, "we are the eyes of the audience, not their brains". Narrative descriptions thus avoid at all times individual interpretations and, as far as possible, subjective adjectives.

Nevertheless, in the interest of a richer experience, we try to give as comprehensive and colourful a picture of the medium as possible. This is particularly true for content for children, where audio narration can be of particular interest for the development of linguistic competence.

There are many tricks of the trade and rules of the trade, which we will share with you in our next training module or workshop. Details coming soon!

ADD On Budapest was founded in the spring of 2023. At the invitation of Margit Ágnes Pethes, who has been working in the field for 8 years, four Hungarian professionals joined the team, which specialises mainly in film accessibility. 

In the autumn of 2023, work was already in full swing and the Hungarian-language interpretation of the most-watched television series of all time for blind and visually impaired audiences began. During the work, a close and respectful relationship was established with one of the clients, which eventually led to an important and exciting collaboration. 

In 2024, ADD On began to provide audio narration in Czech, then Hindi and Polish, inviting the best writers from those languages to work together.

The current list of narration services in 18 languages is growing. In addition, ADD On held a forum for the profession in October 2024 to actively support writers and promote the common mission among market players and decision-makers. 

The gathering of narrators from all over the world, Japan, Brazil and several European countries also started to develop plans for a more active involvement of visually impaired people.) 

In the meantime, our founder is attending an important conference in Budapest. Details of the event are available here. Our detailed report will be available at the end of November!

In the autumn of 2023, work was already in full swing and the Hungarian-language interpretation of the most-watched television series of all time for blind and visually impaired audiences began. During the work, a close and respectful relationship was established with one of the clients, which eventually led to an important and exciting collaboration. 

In 2024, ADD On began to provide audio narration in Czech, then Hindi and Polish, inviting the best writers from those languages to work together.

The current list of narration services in 18 languages is growing. In addition, ADD On held a forum for the profession in October 2024 to actively support writers and promote the common mission among market players and decision-makers. 

The gathering of narrators from all over the world, Japan, Brazil and several European countries also started to develop plans for a more active involvement of visually impaired people.) 

In the meantime, our founder is attending an important conference in Budapest. Details of the event are available here. Our detailed report will be available at the end of November!