North Carolina Museum of Art

Although he was born in Holland, Stomer spent most of his career in Italy, where he was profoundly influenced by the artist Caravaggio and his followers, particularly by the bold contrasts of light and dark, or chiaroscuro, these painters employed. In this painting, Stomer uses light as a visual metaphor for revelation and spiritual illumination and as a visible manifestation of Christ's divinity. The light emanating from the Christ Child is the only source of illumination in the work; Stomer has literally rendered the evangelist John's description of Christ as "the true light which enlightens everyone" (John 1:9). Aside from its symbolic function, the light also emphasizes the expressions of the Holy Family and the shepherds, and it creates a mood of intimacy, mystery, and wonder appropriate to the subject.