Gang der Hirten zur Heiligen Familie, 1892
ArtistWilly Spatz,
Düsseldorf
1861–1931
Düsseldorf
Oil on canvas
Dimensions without frame84 × 147 cm
Dimensions with frame135 × 198 × 6,5 cm
Status
not on displayAdmist the declining power of the Catholic Church and societal changes towards the end of the 19th century, many artists became interested in focussing on the ordinary and the secular. This trend also had an impact on religious painting. Here, Düsseldorf artist Willy Spatz depicts a fairly unusual scene of the Christmas story. Instead of traditionally showing the reverent adoration of the newborn Jesus, Spatz chooses a tense moment shortly before it. He makes the excitedly waiting shepherds the main characters. The Holy Family, absorbed in one another, is pushed into the background.
Accession
Acquisition 1894
ProvenanceAcquired in 1894 from the legacy of Baron Ernst von Krane-Matems, Düsseldorf Inventory numberM 5092
Contact
sammlung@kunstpalast.de