|
Merry
Christmas!
I wanted to share this painting with you. It hangs in the National Gallery in London. It's called THE
NATIVITY AT NIGHT by Dutch artist, Geertgen tot Sint Jans and was
painted in oils on an oak panel sometime between 1455 and 1495. It's
small--only 34 cm by 25.3 cm. and you might easily walk past it in
search of larger works by better known artists, but I confess I spent
quite a while standing before this little jewel.
It's a dark painting. There's a small fire in the
distance where a shining angel is announcing the birth to terrified
shepherds. Light emitted from the manger shows a serene Mary and, deep in
the shadow behind her, Joseph standing guard. There's a donkey and cow
gazing down at the baby with interest. A quintet of little angels occupy
the left side of the scene, all lit only by the light coming from the
Baby. The artist took real gold and painted narrow shafts of light
radiating from the Child--his spin on Jesus as the Light of the world.
But strangely enough, the focus of this painting for me wasn't the
shivering baby. It was the little angel standing behind the manger, the
one closest to the cow. All the other angels are in lock-step worship
mode, somber expressions and folded hands. But her hands are lifted in
surprise and you can't see it clearly here, but she has a look of utter
astonishment on her face.
You can almost hear her thinking, "God in this
tiny bundle of flesh? What on earth is He up to now?"
Political
Correctness
. . .
If you do not celebrate Christmas, I mean no
disrespect. I am frequently wished Happy Hanukkah. I return the
greeting, though I do not keep the Feast of Lights. Many of my writer friends
celebrate the winter solstice. I respect their choice, but it's only an
astronomical event to me.
I am a Christian, so I celebrate Christmas
and to wish you a generic "Happy Holiday" or "Season's Greetings"
offends my writer's soul. Stephen King is big on specific, descriptive
nouns. Why say 'bird' when you can say 'cardinal' or 'penguin' or
'vulture?" Same goes for Christmas. Let's call it what it is.
So please accept my hearty Merry Christmas. When
I say it, I wish you joy and light and love.
Benefit
Auction
Jo Leigh writes for several
Harlequin imprints. She lost her husband to cancer last summer and had
no medical insurance to cover the mountain of bills. Please visit
my
blog for a link to bid on signed
copies of my backlist on Ebay. Lots of authors and editors have joined
in to offer items. Click
here for a
link to the full list. The auction only lasts a few more days. All the
proceeds go to benefit Jo Leigh.
Thank
you
. . .
I couldn't let you go without
telling you how much I appreciate your support of my work. As a little
"thank you," please accept a FREE downloadable story featuring
the characters of
Pleasuring the Pirate and my
upcoming
Vexing the Viscount. It's called
A Dragon Caern Christmas.
Hope you enjoy a little Christmas
magic!
Wishing
you
love,
Emily
PS. Visit
http://www.authorsandbooks.blogspot.com/
on Monday, December 8th. All you have to do is leave a comment for a
chance to win a signed copy of Pleasuring
the Pirate!
|
