This Month's Feature Special Event

Here is my favorite Christmas art piece.
It hangs in our living room this season.

It’s a painting by the Venetian painter Giambattista Pittoni (1687 – 1767)
I’ve titled it “Joseph’s Dream.”

Clearly, this is not a representation of what Joseph may have seen in his dream, but rather a theological interpretation of what the dream meant.
This painting is an example of seeing below the surface of things to perceive what it means.

Make sure you take time this Christmas season to get away from the hussle and bussle of our culture’s version of Christmas to engage the mystery of what Christmas actually means.

Studying this picture may be a help to stimulate your reflection on the angel’s stunning proclamation, “He shall be called Immanuel.”

The rest of the story is in Matthew 1.18-24.

More on
Giovanni Battista Pittoni

1687 - 1767

Pittoni was a leading Venetian painter of the early 18th century. He was born in Venice and trained there by his uncle, Francesco.

Once his style had evolved it changed little, and his paintings, which are distinguished by their fluency and theatrical expressiveness, are not easily datable.

Pittoni had a high reputation during his lifetime, both within the Italian peninsula and elsewhere in Europe. He was much in demand in Italy, and supplied altarpieces for churches in Bergamo, Brescia, Milan, Padova, Verona and Vicenza. He was a skillful restorer of older paintings. Pittoni was successful, well liked and well respected.

His reputation rapidly faded after his death, and by the end of the eighteenth century he was totally forgotten. Interest in him was revived in the twentieth century by the publications of Laura Coggiola Pittoni

<script>!function(e){"function"==typeof define&&define.amd?define(["jquery"],e):"object"==typeof exports?module.exports=e(require("jquery")):e(jQuery)}((function(e){var t,i,n,o=[],l=document,f=window,r=l.documentElement;function a(){if(o.length){var n,a,s,h=0,d=e.map(o,(function(e){var t=e.data.selector,i=e.$element;return t?i.find(t):i}));for(t=t||((s={height:f.innerHeight,width:f.innerWidth}).height||!(n=l.compatMode)&&e.support.boxModel||(s={height:(a="CSS1Compat"===n?r:l.body).clientHeight,width:a.clientWidth}),s),i=i||{top:f.pageYOffset||r.scrollTop||l.body.scrollTop,left:f.pageXOffset||r.scrollLeft||l.body.scrollLeft};h<o.length;h++)if(e.contains(r,d[h][0])){var p=e(d[h]),c={height:p[0].offsetHeight,width:p[0].offsetWidth},u=p.offset(),g=p.data("inview")||!1;if(!i||!t)return;var v=u.top+c.height,w=p.data("offset")||0,m=v+w>=i.top&&u.top<=i.top,b=i.top+t.height;if(isTopVisible=u.top-w<=b&&v>=b,inView=u.top>=i.top&&v<=b,inViewWithOffset=inView||m||isTopVisible||u.top<=i.top&&v>=b,inViewWithOffset){var y=isTopVisible?"top":m?"bottom":"both";g&&g===y||p.data("inview",y).trigger("inview",[!0,y])}else!inView&&g&&p.data("inview",!1).trigger("inview",[!1])}}}e.event.special.inview={add:function(t){o.push({data:t,$element:e(this),element:this}),!n&&o.length&&(n=setInterval(a,250))},remove:function(e){for(var t=0;t<o.length;t++){var i=o[t];if(i.element===this&&i.data.guid===e.guid){o.splice(t,1);break}}o.length||(clearInterval(n),n=null)}},e(f).on("scroll resize scrollstop",(function(){t=i=null})),!r.addEventListener&&r.attachEvent&&r.attachEvent("onfocusin",(function(){i=null}))}));</script><script>$(document).ready(function(){    $('shighlight').on('inview', function(event, isInView) {      if (isInView) {        $(this).addClass("start-animation");              } else {        $(this).removeClass("start-animation");      }    });     $('span.shighlight').on('inview', function(event, isInView) {      if (isInView) {        $(this).addClass("start-animation");              } else {        $(this).removeClass("start-animation");      }    });        $('.shighlight').on('inview', function(event, isInView) {      if (isInView) {        $(this).addClass("start-animation");              } else {        $(this).removeClass("start-animation");      }    });           if($(".kapow-snap").length>0){        window.setTimeout(function(){            $('shighlight').on('inview', function(event, isInView) {            if (isInView) {                $(this).addClass("start-animation");                            } else {                $(this).removeClass("start-animation");            }            });             $('span .shighlight').on('inview', function(event, isInView) {            if (isInView) {                $(this).addClass("start-animation");                            } else {                $(this).removeClass("start-animation");            }            });             $('.shighlight').on('inview', function(event, isInView) {            if (isInView) {                $(this).addClass("start-animation");                            } else {                $(this).removeClass("start-animation");            }            });                                 }, 1500);    }       if(typeof(CoursePlayerV2) !== 'undefined') {      CoursePlayerV2.on('hooks:contentDidChange', function(data) {                  window.setTimeout(function(){        $('.shighlight').on('inview', function(event, isInView) {                    if (isInView) {            $(this).addClass("start-animation");                      } else {            $(this).removeClass("start-animation");          }        });            }, 1500);      });                      }    })</script>