In this lesson we looked at several piece of art showing Jesus’ birth. In each we tried to identify how four key teachings came out:
- Jesus is fully human AND fully God.
- Jesus somehow reconnects human beings to God.
- Jesus, the “light of the world”, brings God’s peace.
- Jesus is the most important person ever to live.
The main picture we looked at was Botticelli’s Nativity:
Do you remember the things we talked about? Your essay needs to try to explain what they mean:
- Jesus is right in the middle
- Jesus is naked
- Angels and human beings are hugging at the bottom
- A demon is running away in the bottom right
- Angels are coming down out of heaven
Here are some of the other pictures. Remember to ask yourself…
- Who or what is the main thing in the picture? How do you know it is the main thing?
- Where is the light coming from?
- What can we tell about the way the main characters are feeling? How can you tell? What is it trying to say?
- What is happening in the rest of the picture? What do these things tell you about the main bit?
Ghirlandaio’s Nativity:
Previtali’s Nativity:
Rubens:
