I mean the whole damn point of the Nativity story is that the supposed son of God (interpret Jesus how you fucking want, of course) was born to a couple of poor, exhausted peasants in the stable for the inn, and his first bed was a feeding trough for animals. That would nowadays be like a poor couple where the mother gives birth in a parking garage behind the motel because they couldnât find a better place and nobody else would take them in. Itâs a pretty gritty setting, and the idea is that God was reborn in some of the rock-bottom lowest circumstances. The only thing majestic was all the angels and shit, and of course motherly love
I get that a lot of the art portraying Madonna and Child as fabulously wealthy europeans in splendid robes and golden light was meant to glorify God + whichever nobility was sponsoring the artist, and while of course itâs genuinely beautiful art, it just always struck me as horribly missing the point, which is that the supposed son of God started in incredibly humble circumstances, among the kind of people that everyone else looks down on
âMassacre des Innocentsâ by Leon CogniĂŠt, 1824. Although the Feast of the Holy Innocents is in a couple of days time, this painting is still really relevant in that it portrays Mary as how She really was: a scared refugee mum, so fearful that Her son was going to be one of the Innocents killed by King Herod.
My new favorite mordern interpretation is this work, JosĂŠ y Maria by Everett Patterson (http://www.everettpatterson.com)
I had to look at this like FIVE TIMES to register all the layers of symbolism going into the piece by Patterson.Â
The hoodie as a veil.Â
Weisman cigarettes
Each of them is haloed by an advertisement sticker.Â
No Vacancy sign on the motel.Â
Dove sticker over Mariaâs head.Â
Neon sign with a star symbol also over Mariaâs head.Â
The crown over the âDaveâs City Motelâ sign. âNew Manger.â
The sign behind Joseâs elbow likely says âHerod.â
The wee little plant growing through the cracks at their feet.Â
Itâs like a New Testament âI Spy.â I love it!
Ugh.
New favorite interpretation of the nativity.Â
The paper at JosĂŠâs feet has an advert for Shepard Watches Mariaâs hoodie says Nazareth High School The sign above JosĂŠâs head proclaims âGood News!â
This is incredible and lovely.




















