Sandro Botticelli, Mystic Nativity, 1500

I just turned eighteen. It’s hit me now more then it initially did. I woke up one day and there I was, an adult. For the past two years I have always felt sixteen. Seventeen passed with little acknowledgment and now I’m just absorbing the reality of my age. I just now realize how old I am. Two years away from being twenty. I think this is what it feels like when my parents complain about how old they’re turning. There’s so much I feel I need to accomplish before I graduate, yet the time is quickly seeping away.

Over Thanksgiving break my grandfather and my father both flew into town. All this life in one house, it leads me to wonder what adventures I’ll eventually embark on. What incredible stories will I collect? I’m at the point where college rests on the edge of the horizon, steadily approaching.

When confronted with Mystic Nativity, I’m immediately drawn to Botticelli’s use of space. The painting is overall well-balanced. I love this piece because of the subject matter, with its depiction of Nativity spliced with an apocalyptic scene. When Botticelli was painting this, it was widely believed that the year 1500 would be judgment day, Christ’s return. The scene is inspired by the teachings of a religious leader, Savonarola, who came into popularity a decade before the end of the 16th century. He preached to the people of Florence to give up their materialistic possessions, their excessive luxury. The painting itself screams “awesome.” The sky being ripped open to reveal a rich gold.