Adoration of the Magi
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| Boticelli, Adoration of the Magi, 1475 |
It looks like things have not changed since the Renaissance. Botticelli constructs Adoration of the Magi to display the social classes of the fifteenth
century. During the 1470s, the Italian
classes were separated into four categories.
The relationship between the Renaissance culture and modern society
portrays identical behaviors in wealth, greed, and values.
The
pompous noble men, furthest from Jesus, reminds us of the “ Vice President Joe Biden. Biden’s smirks
and condescending comments ("That’s a bunch of malarkey" "Oh, now
you're Jack Kennedy?") reflect those men in Adoration of the Magi. Biden outward appearance implies a strong
religious faith that cares for the poor.
Nice try, Biden.. and other “generous” Americans, your $5,540 of $379,035 (1.5%) of charitable giving is
6.1% less than the average donations given by the middle class. Botticelli’s painting delivers the truth
behind the hypocritical upper class.
Traveling deeper
into the circle, we see a lack of devotion.
While Jesus sits several feet away, Botticelli paints men as if they
finished watching five hours of “Dora the Explorer.” In modern society, we would call this “the
Christmas Eve attenders.”
The people
kneeling by Jesus are the charitable givers and the devoted. As watching a crippled and abandoned Guatemalan
woman walk to church every Sunday, the true definition of devotion and charitable
giving reflects the poor. The hope and
happiness received by those in need has a
significant value compared to all the money in the world.
Botticelli paints
Adoration of the Magi with refection of all social classes.
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