Lorenzo Lotto. The Nativity

The exhibition event focuses on one of the most poignant and enigmatic works in the religious production of Lorenzo Lotto, an artist often referred to as the 'restless genius' of the Renaissance. La Nativity (dated 1525), excellent loan from the Siena National Picture Gallery, comes to Milan as part of the A Masterpiece for Milan to give the audience an intimate and meditative view of the Christmas scene.

Lotto addresses the theme of Christ's birth with a unusual iconographyinspired by the Apocryphal Gospelsby inserting next to the Holy Family the figure of the incredulous midwifeto whom is attributed the gesture of doubt about Mary's virginity. The setting is a cosy interior, immersed in the night, with a strong inspiration from the Nordic models circulating in Venice at the time.

A master of chiaroscuro and light vibrations, Lotto employs two sources of light: the halo coming from the Child and the flame of the hearth in the background, generating an almost sacred and suspended atmosphere. The gestures are spontaneous and affectionate, the crossed glances between the characters build a relational network rich in human and spiritual tension. The colour scheme is vibrant: the blue and red of the Virgin, the antique green-pink of the midwife, the blue and golden yellow of St. Joseph emerge against the brown background with suggestive reflections even on objects such as the copper tub.

The exhibition also proposes a dialogue with the permanent collection of the Museo Diocesano, offering the opportunity to contextualise the table in the panorama of Lombard and Italian sacred art between the 16th and 17th centuries.
Visitors will be able to benefit from texts and explanatory panels that explore the historical context of the work, the wanderings of the painting (up to the sack of Mantua and the historical restorations) and the reasons for its symbolic and aesthetic value.