The Nativity is undoubtedly one of the most popular subjects in Western art. Despite artists’ fascination with Classical antiquity during the Renaissance, they continued to return to the birth of Jesus, from his miraculous conception to his revelation to the world.

However, paintings didn’t merely replicate the different episodes that were economically described in the Gospels and apocryphal sources. Artists introduced additional angels and animals, elaborate architecture and natural landscapes, and emphasised nocturnal scenes, so as to explore the possibility of new interpretations and broader narratives in the Nativity story. In this lecture, Dr Carlo Corsato of the National Gallery will explore how artists such as Titian, Bassano, Tintoretto, and Veronese reimagined the Nativity in their art, transforming an old narrative into a new and exciting story for their times and ours.