Carlo Maratta, Nativity (fresco)

Description

The work does not follow the scheme of the classic Nativity, but prefers a different cut and a very precise selection of characters and symbols. The artist conceives a rather scenic cut, a close-up that shows an interesting balance in the conception of the composition of the image. In the center, the Virgin bends over the Child. Around her, adoring cherubs crown this idyll. She is dressed according to tradition with a tunic and cloak in red and lapis lazuli blue. The white veil underneath, a symbol of purity, wraps the baby in newborn swaddling. What is striking in this work is the tenderness of this mother's embrace, which crosses the gaze of the little Jesus, of which Maratta  depicts in the foreground the head and chubby cheeks that give him a very bright realism. The background has no details of any kind, as it is designed to highlight only the main subjects. A work, therefore, courtly and harmonious in composition, but at the same time very realistic in model, which effectively and tenderly recounts this moment in the life of Jesus.