Exhibition
One of the most evocative works by Lorenzo Lotto (Venice, c. 1480 – Loreto, c. 1556), an artist described as the “restless genius” of the Renaissance for his extraordinary originality, the Nativity held at the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Siena, is the centrepiece of the new edition of Un A Masterpiece for Milan.
The refined panel, dated 1525, treats the theme of the Nativity according to an unusual iconography drawn from the apocryphal Gospels which, besides the Holy Family, features the presence of an elderly midwife. The scene takes place in a simple interior, in an evocative nocturnal setting that Lotto borrowed from the northern models circulating in Venice during those years.
A master in exploring the potential of light, the artist uses two different light sources: the halo of light generated by the Christ Child himself and the flame of the hearth in the background. The tone is intimate and conversational, with tender, spontaneous gestures that create an atmosphere of intense spirituality, aided too by the interplay of glances that binds the figures together. The play of light and sudden flashes bring out an extraordinarily intense range of colour, from the blue and red of the Virgin, to the green and dusky pink of the midwife, to the light blue, yellow and gold of Saint Joseph, and also cast evocative reflections on objects such as the copper tub.
