Angels and Shepherds, Christian Wall Art

What is painted

Two angels in white and gold robes hover in the upper half of the picture, wings spread, hands open toward each other and toward the earth. Around them the clouds part in a great circle of light, with rays pouring down onto the hills.

On the grassy slope below, three shepherds react. One stands with a crook and a brown cloak, head tilted back. Another kneels in a sheepskin vest, one hand on the ground. The third has fallen back on his elbow and raises an arm to shade his eyes from the glare. Their sheep graze on both sides, and far off a small town rests on a ridge among cypresses.

It is painted in an impressionist oil style, with dense, shimmering strokes, and the image reaches every edge of the print. There is no lettering on it.

Glory to God in the highest

In Luke 2:9-14, an angel of the Lord stands before shepherds in the fields near Bethlehem, and the glory of the Lord shines around them. The angel says: “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people” (Luke 2:10). He tells them that a Savior, Christ the Lord, has been born in the city of David.

Then a multitude of the heavenly host joins the angel, praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14). The painting gathers that crowd of heaven into two figures, so the faces of the shepherds, startled, wondering and half afraid, remain the center of the story.

A bright piece for Christmas

The light, creamy palette makes this one of the brighter Christmas scenes, a good choice for a white or beige wall, a sunlit stairway or a nursery. Choir directors and music lovers often like it because the moment it shows is the first Christmas carol, sung over a field.

Give it at Christmas to a family welcoming a new baby, a friend who sings Hark! The Herald Angels Sing every year, or a church music team.

Each print is a giclée on heavyweight archival matte paper, produced on demand in the US and delivered free within the United States. It ships unframed. Pick a size from 5x7 to 24x36 inches, or a metric or A size; a downloadable digital file is offered as well.