Aanbidding door de herders 1783

Editor: This is Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki's "Adoration of the Shepherds," an engraving from 1783. It has a somber mood; I can tell it's an engraving by the dense crosshatching. It seems like a classic depiction of the nativity scene. What catches your eye when you look at it? Curator: What catches my eye, dear heart, is that basket brimming with bread in the foreground! I can almost smell that wholesome aroma mixing with the sheepy wool of the shepherd’s cloaks. For me, Chodowiecki's genius is how he grounds the divine event in the everyday. The rough clothes, the concerned, human faces around the manger…it's not a majestic pronouncement, but an intimate revelation. And isn’t it curious that he doesn't bathe the scene in heavenly light, but instead gives us shadows, forcing us to peer into the miracle? Almost as if he’s asking: do you truly see? Editor: I never thought of the darkness as a choice; I guess I expected more light. It’s interesting how he emphasizes the ordinary over the divine. Why do you think he made that choice? Curator: Perhaps, in a world yearning for reason during the Age of Enlightenment, Chodowiecki wanted to remind us that faith isn't about blinding celestial displays but about recognizing the sacred in the simple, the humble. To see God, as it were, swaddled in the mundane. And truly, isn't that the more enduring magic? What will you take with you from our observation? Editor: I like thinking about faith being grounded and approachable; that feels more accessible somehow. I will never perceive baroque art in quite the same way.