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GOES, Hugo van der: Adoration of the Shepherds

🖼 Adoration of the Shepherds, c. 1480
Wood
97 × 245 cm
Berlin, Germany

Candlelit figures crowd an intimate stable scene rendered in jewel-toned oils, their gestures radiating wonder toward the Christ child. Van der Goes's revolutionary composition democratizes the sacred narrative, positioning humble shepherds as spiritually equal to the Virgin—a radical Flemish innovation that redefined religious painting.

The story of art
The story of art
E. H. Gombrich
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