Christmas traditions and their artistic depictions

Often the celebration of Christmas holds a strong overlap with the world of the arts, as is highlighted by the way in which the arts industry flourishes at Christmas, whether this be in terms of paintings, German nutcrackers, decorative advent calendars, or more. However, although Christmas is typically viewed as a time of joy and celebration, this is not always exemplified through its presentation within artwork, and we can see this through the darker depictions of the festive period in the artistic world. 

Owing to the religious roots of Christmas, much of the artwork focusing on this period, particularly paintings, centres on Christianity and the figures of Mary and Jesus especially. For example, the nativity is one of the most common examples of Christmas art, demonstrating the intrinsic link between art and this holiday. Along with decorative advent calendars, nutcrackers are examples of Christmas traditions which have been depicted within artwork, but which are also arguably forms of artwork themselves. Although nutcrackers were originally just a symbol of good luck in German households, they eventually became a common emblem of Christmas, an image which they maintain today. Following the creation of the fairytale The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by E.T.A. Hoffmann, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky released his ballet The Nutcracker Suite in 1892, resulting in the tradition of nutcrackers becoming internationally known. 

Christmas artwork is not always as cheerful as we might think

Claude Monet painted his ‘Snow Scene at Argenteuil’ in 1875, and it is now on display in The National Gallery in London. This painting is a true embodiment of the festive season: the snowy landscape strikes the perfect balance between the cool tones necessary to recall winter and the warmth which enables this painting to still retain the cheerful atmosphere which is generally associated with Christmastime. However, it is intriguing to see how, despite the stereotypical view of Christmas as a cheerful and overwhelmingly joyful season, the artistic style of individual artists can still be seen in the work. A key element of art is that artists knowingly, or perhaps even subconsciously, reflect their own views and feelings within their work, and Christmas art is no exception, regardless of whether these align with the common perception of Christmas or not. For example, Caspar David Friedrich’s ‘Winter Landscape’, which he painted in 1811, always strikes me as a Christmas painting which depicts a much more dreary and desolate landscape in comparison to many artistic representations of this period. Thus, it is evident that Friedrich’s own artistic style, heavily influenced by his background as a painter of landscapes during the Romantic movement, had a strong and obvious impact on his work, which can be seen clearly in his ‘Winter Landscape’. 

⁠Artwork is a key factor in the presentation of Christmas traditions

Indeed, Christmas artwork is not always as cheerful as we might think. There are also darker undertones to some Christmas traditions within artwork. For example, Krampus is a demonic Christmas creature who punishes misbehaving children in central European, and particularly German, legend. Christmas postcards depicting Krampus were a common type of holiday greeting in late 19th and early 20th century Europe. Although Krampus imagery saw a decline in the middle of the 20th century, there has been somewhat of an increase in this in recent years, highlighting the extent to which popular Christmas imagery is not always centred on the more light-hearted images that it is commonly associated with. 

Therefore, it is clear that artwork is a key factor in the presentation of Christmas traditions, but this artwork does not always reflect what people perceive as the stereotypical view of Christmas. However, the more cheerful image of Christmas, as depicted through the majority of Christmas traditions, is what has remained and will remain as the stereotypical image of the Christmas season.