This beautiful “Silent Night” classic is illustrated by Thomas Kinkade (1958-2012), an American artist who branded himself as the Painter of Light. His style is referred to as Luminism, a kind of modern-day impressionism. His paintings celebrate glory and harmony of nature and are infused with faith, love and hope. Thomas Kinkade was considered America’s most collected living artist of his time. His popularity was matched by the man’s generosity. Throughout his entire life he shared his fortunes by actively supporting numerous charitable and humanitarian causes, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for the less fortunate and donating his work to children’s hospitals, Vatican, the Tate Museum. [1]
This is what the artist had to say on the origin of the Silent Night themed paintings: “I was so taken with the simple message of the classic Christmas carol, Silent Night with its images of sleeping villages and the coming of the Christ child, that I decided to give the annual Christmas release the same title and evoke a bit of the song’s mood.” [2] Quiet and splendid in its tranquillity mother nature surrounds homes aglow with the signature Kinkade light. All is still on that glorious night, anticipating the miracle birth of the special child.
The spell of these mesmerising scenes spilling out of the pages is an almost immersive experience. A great book to enjoy by the whole family this Christmas! For those who play an instrument the last spread has the “Silent Night” music score.
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[1] https://www.thomaskinkade.com/the-artist/biography/
[2] https://www.thomaskinkade.com/art/silent-night/
