A Starry Night
Germany
Dammer Family
Setting – J. G. Roten

These figures are classical examples of German crèche culture. Their members are moveable, the colors subdued but elegant, the dresses of rich texture but simple. Mary wears the traditional white, blue and red. Joseph is clad in brown tones, and the features of all the figures show pronounced individuality. In this scene the figures clash with the cold, starry winter night in which they are set. Cold and warm colors battle with each other. White, gray and black create a wall of hostility and indifference. Stars scattered over the dark skies, the powerful lone star hovering over the Child, and the five pairs of sensitive hands stretched out toward the manger – they all attempt to counterbalance the weight of cold and darkness, that is, of insensitivity and senselessness. The blooming flowers in deep winter stand for a new spring, and the end of a long, starry night.