Nativity : 4 Articles

Arte Povera artist Michelangelo Pistoletto has created a new version of Caravaggio's Nativity , stolen in 1969 from the Oratory of Saint Lawrence in Sicily, to pay tribute to the lost masterpiece. The project is part of an initiative to perpetuate Caravaggio's legacy by exhibiting a work by a new artist each year.

Christmas, celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, is at the heart of Christianity, symbolizing divine incarnation and carrying a message of hope and redemption. From the earliest centuries, the nativity inspired religious art, evolving through the ages to deeply express the spiritual significance of this event, with artists like Giotto and Caravaggio enriching the scene with their emotional realism.

The National Gallery of London recently restored a 1475 painting by Piero della Francesca. Well-known critics say the restoration was "clumsy and plodding". Some parts of the Nativity scene had to be completely redone.

Christmas, or the day celebrating the birth of Jesus, has been immortalized by many famous works of art depicting the Nativity, among which are noteworthy those made by Duccio di Buoninsegna, Giotto, Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, El Greco and Caravaggio. It is important to underline, however, that this theme has also been dealt with in a profane context, such as in the births painted by Chagall and Dali...