Christmas is over

Today is the Feast of the Epiphany, the day the church commemorates the three wise men who travelled from the east to visit the Christ Child, and it ends the Christmas season (tonight is Twelfth Night, when the Christmas tree bonfires are done and today is the Twelfth Day of Christmas from the popular carol). I have to take down all the decorations and tree now. Other things on today's calendar, if I don't go back to bed and sleep through them (I woke up at 3:30 this morning and I'm still up), include Epiphany Mass at 11 and the Metropolitan Opera's broadcast to selected movie theaters all over the country of Bellini's opera I Puritani at 1:30.

So, why the picture above? Well, that's a picture of nephew Ryan last month explaining a painting at the National Gallery of Art by Fra Angelico and Fra Filippo Lippi ca. 1445 called "The Adoration of the Magi." It's actually considered to be a very important painting, not for its religious significance (especially today, Epiphany), but because it's considered to be the bridge between medieval and Renaissance symbolism in painted art. Quite by coincidence, Ryan wrote a paper on this painting for one of his art history classes last spring. We made a point to take his picture by it last month, since he has the same professor once again for another art history class this term, and the photo was a great way to suck up to the professor.

I also had some pictures of me taken in the late medieval and early Renaissance galleries. Had some good pictures of the famous Giotto painting, but I looked hideous in them, so we had to select some lesser-known artists. Below is a picture of me standing by a triptych of Mary and Baby Jesus called "Madonna Enthroned with Saints and Angels" done ca. 1380 by Agnolo Gaddi. As you can see, I wasn't very photogenic that day. This was going to be my Christmas card photo—why buy a card with a Madonna and Child on it when one can have a photo of oneself by one of the famous Madonna and Child paintings? It was great logic. I never did, however, get around to sending Christmas cards last month. Oh, well.