The Nativity 

Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale created this watercolor painting, titled 'The Nativity'. As a female artist during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Fortescue-Brickdale navigated a world where women were often excluded from the formal art world. Here she engages with a quintessential scene in the Christian tradition, yet she imbues it with her own sensibilities. We see the Virgin Mary, not in a glorious palace but in a humble barn, seated on the straw floor with bare feet. Notice how Mary is wrapped in muted colors. Her tender embrace of the infant Jesus highlights the maternal bond, emphasizing the humanity of this sacred narrative. The presence of livestock adds a layer of intimacy. Fortescue-Brickdale invites us to reflect on the intersection of the divine and the ordinary. She gently reframes the Nativity as a scene of quiet intimacy, blurring the boundaries between the sacred and the everyday.