Christmastime is here again! We have another holiday-themed post for you, dear readers. In the past, we’ve touched on holiday decorations (and their inherent kitschiness), and on the various types of nativity scenes you can surround yourself with to emphasize the reason for the season. This year, we’re focusing on the concept of the Christmas tree.
The history of the Christmas Tree is complex. Here is a concise excerpt from Encyclopædia Britannica:
“The use of evergreen trees, wreaths, and garlands to symbolize eternal life was a custom of the ancient Egyptians, Chinese, and Hebrews. Tree worship was common among the pagan Europeans and survived their conversion to Christianity in the Scandinavian customs of decorating the house and barn with evergreens at the New Year to scare away the Devil and of setting up a tree for the birds during Christmastime. It survived further in the custom, also observed in Germany, of placing a Yule tree at an entrance or inside the house during the midwinter holidays.”
Christmas tree-related art — actual art — can be hard to find. While the symbols and ideas associated with the trees are dynamic in our society, holiday-related art is difficult to justify as anything more than seasonal decoration. We’re in luck, however, because artists don’t much care about societal norms and continue to make beautiful and sometimes biting Christmas tree (and Christmas- and tree-adjacent) works. Here are some of them.
A painting by Houston artist Francesca Fuchs
Shirazeh Houshiary’s upside-down Christmas tree suspended from Tate Britain’s ceiling
Michael Johansson’s Seasons Greetings
Lake|Flato Architects’ Christmas tree at the Blue Star Contemporary in San Antonio
Robert Smithson’s Dead Tree
Paul McCarthy’s installation and performance Tokyo Santa
Debbie Reichard’s sculpture Suspended Belief
Roman Signer’s installation Zimmer mit Weihnachtsbaum (Room with Christmas Tree)
One of Dallas artist Brian Keith Jones’ Crappity Elves
A piece by Houston artist Paul Horn
Matt Keegan’s Christmas and July
Jonathon Keats’ drawings created by swaying Leland cypress trees
A sculpture by Robin Ragin
Michael Johansson’s Christmas Tree Bought Separately
A piece by John Baldessari
Double-sided ornament by Houston artist Phillip Kremer
Alex Da Corte’s sculpture Loved Despite of Great Faults
A photograph by Jesse Rieser
Tree-inspired sculptures by Houston artist Bill Willis
An early 1900s card showing Krampus spiriting children away
Ceramic ornaments by Henri Gadbois on a tree at William Reaves | Sarah Foltz Fine Art in Houston
(Detail) Ceramic ornaments by Henri Gadbois on a tree at William Reaves | Sarah Foltz Fine Art in Houston
The McNay’s Christmas Tree
Chuck Ramirez’s Christmas Trees on view in Chuck Ramirez: All This and Heaven Too at the McNay in San Antonio
Paul McCarthy’s “Christmas Tree”
A popcorn garland by Houston artist Paul Kittelson
Ornaments by Houston artist Elaine Bradford
A drawing by Houston artist Paul Middendorf
A Christmas card circa 1917 via the National Library of Norway
5 comments
Francesca Fuchs’ Christmas tree paintings are so good they make me want to bite myself.
Enjoyed that.
Artists from across the state decorate ornaments that are hung on a Christmas tree in the House of Representatives. Arts supporter District 83 Rep. Burrows a former CASP Board Member has always contracted a Lubbock artist to create a unique piece.
I think there should be a Christmas tree making competition for artists all the time!
I immediately think of Christmas Flood by Jennifer Pastor and Tim Hawkinson’s das Tannenboot both s ulptures I love.