Kerstkaart voor 1936 van W.P. Ebbinge Wubben-Van Hasselt 1936

This is a Christmas card from 1936, made by an anonymous artist. The star of Bethlehem sits way up high, beaming a path down to the manger in a highly graphic and stylized manner. I feel for this artist, working with such simple means to get to a feeling of reverence and awe! The artist probably worked slowly and carefully, building up the tones by hatching tiny lines, a bit like printmaking. Imagine them thinking of other artists using similar techniques, maybe someone like M.C. Escher, who was also working in the Netherlands at this time, or maybe even Albrecht Dürer, from centuries before. The most striking element of the image is the use of light and shadow, almost like a stage set. The artist has deployed geometric forms to communicate the feeling of wonder and mystery associated with the nativity scene. They have invited us into a space where symbolism and visual language come together to create a moment of contemplation.