Nondescript?
Gerry Wallace
USA

White, tall, and nondescript. Isn't this the overall impression that emerges when looking at this nativity? A fleeting glance may easily become a lasting impression. Before it happens, take another look.

The ten figures stand tall against a solemn curtain of black-and-white drapery. At their feet there is gold, both yellow and red. And, although their individual identity is not immediately evident, we intuit that each one of these personages takes part in a sacred drama. Sacred drama veils and unveils. But at all times the mystery remains intact. Here lies the meaning of this seemingly nondescript Christmas scene. There is more than faceless characters here. Isn't it as if the whole figure was shrouded in mystery? Meaning some of the mystery that only God himself can unveil for us, and which we recognize as such in faith. True mystery never wears down. It instills lightness in the soul as suggested with the dreamy arabesque decorations that ornate some of the figures.