Nativity 1475

Piero della Francesca painted this Nativity in the second half of the 15th century. The image offers a stripped-down, unsentimental depiction of one of Christianity's core narratives. The painting's setting in a crumbling ruin may allude to the decline of the pagan world and the birth of a new era with the advent of Christ, a frequent theme in Italian Renaissance art. Della Francesca subtly integrates the divine with the everyday. The angels, with their serene expressions and musical instruments, don't appear as ethereal beings, but more like a choir from the local church. Even Mary, kneeling in adoration, seems more human than heavenly. Produced during a time of growing prosperity and artistic innovation in Italy, Piero's Nativity reflects a humanist vision of Christianity, emphasizing the human experience within the sacred story. By studying the social history of fifteenth-century Italy, we can understand better how the artist and his patrons wished to convey religious stories to their contemporaries.