My mum had business to do in Milan and I went with her so that we could hang around together in town after she was finished. We went to the Pinacoteca di Brera to appreciate some Medieval and Reinassance art and, besides discovering some all time masterpieces like Mantegna's Lamentation of Christ (link available as soon as possible), I came across this Adoration of the Magi by Gaudenzio Ferrari (link available as soon as possible). The detail I portrayed here particularly stuck with me.
In Reinassance art the characters in a painting usually look like they are posing in order to be portrayed. They seem to be holding the right pose in the right moment, as if they were on a theatrical stage. However, that is not the case for the kid in this detail. He is busy managing the beast, showing his back to the observer and barely looking at them, caught in the middle of his business and unready for portrayal. Thus, differently than in most Reinassance art, this detail feels spontaneous and humble rather than painstakingly staged, giving it a modern quality. It feels more like photography rather than portrait, More like film rather than theater.