La Nativité

Back from West Africa, Fritz continued to work on what he had seen and experienced there. This work, which is strongly influenced by symbolism, shows the nativity scene from a black African perspective. The setting is an African village and its inhabitants. Mary and the infant Jesus are set off from the background by a kind of halo. The three kings are three wise, greying men in colorful robes. Instead of an ox or donkey, a small gazelle gazes at the scene. Rather than gold and myrrh, there is a basket full of exotic fruit in the picture as a birth gift.