The Nativity 1850 - 1910

John La Farge rendered this Nativity in ink and graphite sometime near the turn of the twentieth century. Here, a divine light pours onto the newborn Christ. The adoration of the newborn Christ is an image steeped in symbolism. Consider the gesture of the woman on the left, arm raised, almost in disbelief. The raised arm has appeared across centuries, from classical depictions of orators to the Renaissance motif of the Annunciation. Such a gesture transcends mere description; it evokes a powerful psychological response. It’s as if, through this raised arm, we tap into a collective memory, a shared understanding of awe and revelation. The echo of the sacred resounds through time, each iteration colored by the cultural and emotional context of its age, but forever bound to the primal human experience of witnessing the divine.