The work represents the birth of the child jesus, who is next to his parents, the virgin mary, and saint joseph. It comes from an adoration of shepherds that el greco had performed for the colegio de doña maría de aragón, in this case the scene is simplified to a nativity without the presence of the shepherds. El greco paints a dark scene only interrupted by the light emanating from the figure of the child jesus. In this way, the painter tries to represent that at the moment of the birth of jesus christ is when the world knows the divine light, and presents the child as a focus of light that guides humanity on its path towards the truth. In this canvas you can also see typical foreshortenings of the painter, such as the original intrusion of the twisted head of the ox in the foreground under mary's feet, which further emphasizes the idea that these paintings were made to be seen from below. Object Type: painting. Genre: religious art. Date: between 1603 and 1605. Dimensions: diameter: 128 cm (50.3 in). Medium: oil on canvas. Depicted People: Christ Child. Collection: Capilla Mayor del Hospital de la Caridad de Illescas. La Natividad, de El Greco (Santuario de la Virgen de la Caridad de Illescas)
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