a visit with jesus

 Bible Art

The Nativity
Artist: Giotto
 1305-06    Painting

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This fresco by Giotto, depicting the birth of Jesus, is housed in the Scrovegni Chapel, Padua, Italy.  It is part of one of his finest and most important fresco cycles dedicated to the life of the Virgin Mary.

The Nativity with the Prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel
Artist: Duccio
 1308-1311    Tempera (on wood)

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This horizontal painting is made up of three parts: in the center square panel, a woman reclines under a wooden shelter set into a rocky cave, which is surrounded by angels, and narrower wings to either side are each occupied by a standing man. All the people have pale skin, which is tinged with faint green.

The three panels are joined with a gold frame, and the gold background behind the central scene and the men in the side panels are covered with a noticeable network of cracks. In the central panel, a cobalt-blue robe nearly envelopes the reclining woman’s body; this is Mary. It covers her head and falls open where she crosses her wrists over her chest to show a pink garment underneath. A flat gold halo encircles her head ,and her body is surrounded by a field of crimson red, almost like an aura. She rests under a wooden structure with a pitched roof, which is surrounded by craggy, barren rock.

A swaddled infant lies in a rectangular, tray-like manger. The infant’s head is also surrounded by a gold halo.