Yeah, I agree that painters in the 15th Century wouldn’t have reliable knowledge of what people wore in biblical times, but it still strikes me as odd that they would portray them in contemporary clothes, like us picturing Joseph in jeans and a t-shirt.

Thanks for the nice words about Lines and Colors.

Other readers can check out Mark’s Freelance Illustration Sketchblog.

As for period clothing does anyone, even today, know what the people of biblical times wore? Assuming you don’t know how would you paint them? And how would you paint them in the 15th century? These are the kind of questions my art history teacher posed when I was a student.

Anyway Lines and Colors has been my weekly destination for a couple of years and I thank you for all your hard work, happy holidays.

OH, and that placement of the baby Jesus is way disturbing.

I agree, it would seem disconcerting to see a contemporary version of the Nativity set against small town America and populated by people in clothes from The Gap, but they seemed to think it appropriate at the time. I think we also accept it from our current point of view because history compresses time, and we see a closer relation to ancient events than we do to our own time.

Other readers can check out Glendon Mellow’s blog The Flying Trilobite, which he subtitles “Art in Awe of Science”.

The anachronism of the clothing has always fascinated me. Painting someone in modern clothes now would look so crass, yet these Flemish clothes seem visually appropriate. Likely due to how much we see from the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque.

I’d like to take this opportunity near the end of the calendar year to thank you again for being an inspiration to me, and to so many others. Charley, you are bursting with talent and a force to be reckoned with as a blogger.

All the best to you and yours!
-Glendon