the work. Chiaroscuro forces the viewer to focus on the figures and the event rather than other things going on in the background. The central theme of the painting is humility. By seating the Virgin on the ground, Caravaggio implies that she is not a heavenly queen, but rather a simple young mother. This painting is a representation of the majority. The response of the shepherds is to admire rather than to venerate. There is a calmness and tranquility that is unmistakably conveying their worth as common-folk for the people as the parents of the Savior. See also List of paintings by Caravaggio References External links Web Gallery of Art, scene description Critical analysis links Appreciation by Art of the Bible Doubt and Faith: Caravaggio's Adoration of the Shepherds by Tom McCarthy References External links Paintings by Caravaggio 1609 paintings Caravaggio Animals in art Paintings in Sicily Messina