Christmas Night (The Blessing Of The Oxen) 1902 - Paul Gauguin Fine Art Postcard

"Christmas Night (The Blessing of the Oxen)" blends dream and reality. Under a starry sky, a small village church with a snow-covered roof sits nestled amongst Breton cottages. But the scene isn't purely European. Two large, yellow oxen, reminiscent of ancient Egyptian art, stand in the foreground. Women in dark headdresses, a detail from another Breton village, kneel before them. In the background, a nativity scene with figures resembling those from a Javanese frieze adds another layer of cultural fusion. The overall feeling is one of mystical calm, a unique blend of Gauguin's imagination and his travels.