Some Paintings to Celebrate Christmas
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all who celebrate! In honor of the holiday, I’ve decided to put together a collection of Christmas paintings to celebrate.
Christmas Eve, 1887 by John Everett Millais - I think that most of us can imagine a Christmas scene. For obvious reasons, the holiday tends to be associated with Christmas trees, bells, and holly sprigs. Pre-Raphaelite artist John Everett Millais, however, took a different approach to the subject. The painting depicts a rural landscape, featuring crows and barren trees. Tiny footprints track through the snow and a brick manor house stands in the background. While it is a seemingly mundane scene, it is powerful and meaningful in its simplicity.
Christmas in the Brothel by Edvard Munch - Edvard Munch is well known as an eccentric, original painter. Munch is best known as the painter of The Scream, one of the most recognizable paintings in the world. His style is extremely distinctive, characterized by bright colors and bold lines. Munch used painting to explore his psychological and emotional reality, which inspired this distinctive style. Thus, every Munch painting is a reflection of his own personal worldview. Christmas in the Brothel is an example of this unique and unusual worldview. Here, Munch combines the sacred and the profane, portraying a group of “working girls” who have just finished decorating their Christmas tree in a brothel. Munch uses this subject to explore social themes and the different roles in individuals take on in society. (It’s also a pretty amusing Christmas scene, if you ask me.)
A Christmas Carol by Dante Gabriel Rossetti - Artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti is often considered to be synonymous with the Pre-Raphaelite movement. Like all Pre-Raphaelites, Rossetti was inspired by history and mythology, which can be seen in his painting A Christmas Carol. The painting depicts an idealized version of a Medieval Christmas. Here, we see three women dressed in Medieval clothing playing music (presumably Christmas carols), picked out in bright, jewel-toned shades. It is a vibrant and beautiful—yet solemn and dignified—scene, characteristic typical of Pre-Raphaelite art. Although the subject of the piece might seem light or frivolous, it almost certainly held personal significance to Rossetti. He completed several Christmas carol themed paintings throughout his career.
Christmas Night (The Blessing of the Oxen) by Paul Gauguin - Paul Gauguin can best be described as a controversial—yet brilliant—artist. Gauguin is most famous for the art he executed while living in Tahiti, and, while his understanding of Tahitian culture was limited, his time in French Polynesia made a huge impact on his work. In Christmas Night, Gauguin combines these Tahitian influences with his French background. Here, we see a snow-covered Breton village populated by two Tahitian women who are leading a pair of Oxen to a shrine. According to my research, the shrine was based on a real structure located in Java; the figures inside seem to represent a version of the Nativity scene. Gauguin had a deep philosophical interest in religious and spiritual experience. Central to his spiritual quest was an idea that there was an underlying universality to all human religions and spiritual experience, a fundamental spiritual truth that Gauguin tried to grasp through art.
A Dream of Christmas Eve by George Hitchcock - To finish off this list of paintings, I want to finish with a piece by a little-known American artist. According to my research, George Hitchcock was known for his loose and painterly style, which he often used to portray religious subjects. A Dream of Christmas Eve is a good example of his style. Painted in a palette of vibrant pastels, we see three figures with glowing, golden halos resting in a snowy landscape. Two figures—perhaps angels—hover over a sitting man, who may be a saint or other holy figure. While the exact subject of the scene is unclear, it is apparent that it is a beautiful and peaceful depiction of Christmas Eve.
Christmas Eve, 1887 by John Everett Millais - I think that most of us can imagine a Christmas scene. For obvious reasons, the holiday tends to be associated with Christmas trees, bells, and holly sprigs. Pre-Raphaelite artist John Everett Millais, however, took a different approach to the subject. The painting depicts a rural landscape, featuring crows and barren trees. Tiny footprints track through the snow and a brick manor house stands in the background. While it is a seemingly mundane scene, it is powerful and meaningful in its simplicity.
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| Christmas Eve, 1887 Source: Wikimedia Commons |
Christmas in the Brothel by Edvard Munch - Edvard Munch is well known as an eccentric, original painter. Munch is best known as the painter of The Scream, one of the most recognizable paintings in the world. His style is extremely distinctive, characterized by bright colors and bold lines. Munch used painting to explore his psychological and emotional reality, which inspired this distinctive style. Thus, every Munch painting is a reflection of his own personal worldview. Christmas in the Brothel is an example of this unique and unusual worldview. Here, Munch combines the sacred and the profane, portraying a group of “working girls” who have just finished decorating their Christmas tree in a brothel. Munch uses this subject to explore social themes and the different roles in individuals take on in society. (It’s also a pretty amusing Christmas scene, if you ask me.)
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| Christmas in the Brothel Source: Wikimedia Commons |
A Christmas Carol by Dante Gabriel Rossetti - Artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti is often considered to be synonymous with the Pre-Raphaelite movement. Like all Pre-Raphaelites, Rossetti was inspired by history and mythology, which can be seen in his painting A Christmas Carol. The painting depicts an idealized version of a Medieval Christmas. Here, we see three women dressed in Medieval clothing playing music (presumably Christmas carols), picked out in bright, jewel-toned shades. It is a vibrant and beautiful—yet solemn and dignified—scene, characteristic typical of Pre-Raphaelite art. Although the subject of the piece might seem light or frivolous, it almost certainly held personal significance to Rossetti. He completed several Christmas carol themed paintings throughout his career.
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| A Christmas Carol Source: WikiArt |
Christmas Night (The Blessing of the Oxen) by Paul Gauguin - Paul Gauguin can best be described as a controversial—yet brilliant—artist. Gauguin is most famous for the art he executed while living in Tahiti, and, while his understanding of Tahitian culture was limited, his time in French Polynesia made a huge impact on his work. In Christmas Night, Gauguin combines these Tahitian influences with his French background. Here, we see a snow-covered Breton village populated by two Tahitian women who are leading a pair of Oxen to a shrine. According to my research, the shrine was based on a real structure located in Java; the figures inside seem to represent a version of the Nativity scene. Gauguin had a deep philosophical interest in religious and spiritual experience. Central to his spiritual quest was an idea that there was an underlying universality to all human religions and spiritual experience, a fundamental spiritual truth that Gauguin tried to grasp through art.
Christmas Night (The Blessing of the Oxen)
Indianapolis Museum of Art
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| A Dream of Christmas Eve Source: Artnet |
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