Unveiling "The Light Of The Word" William Holman Hunt & his Devotional Picture

• Report rights infringement
• published: 07 Apr 2016
• views: 75

William Holman Hunt 2 April 1827 – 7 September 1910 https://www.stpauls.co.uk/documents/Education/Light%20of%20the%20world%20booklet.pdf Unboxing and Welcoming in "The Light Of The Word" William Holman Hunt & his Devotional Picture. Hunt’s painting was intended to illustrate a passage from Revelations 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” These words were inscribed on the frame and also appeared in the exhibition catalogue when The Light of the World was first shown at the Royal Academy in 1854 (No508). Hunt, who was thoroughly acquainted with the Bible, noted that reading the scriptures inspired his painting. In a pamphlet written by him to accompany a later exhibition of the work at Hanover Street, London, 1865 he noted that he had at first intended it to be a daylight scene. However, referring to a verse in Romans 18:12 “The night is far spent, the day is at hand”, he then proposed a nocturnal setting. This, and the idea of portraying Christ as “The Light of the World” (as described in Matthew 5:14; and in John 8:12 and 9:5) led to a need for a lamp. The lamp not only illustrates the painting but is also a symbol of the Divine, as described in for instance 2 Samuel 22:29: “Yea, thou art my Lamp. O Lord and my God lightens my darkness.” The Light of the World, Hunt’s first exhibited religious painting was also his first nocturnal scene. The idea for a night scene was not only motivated by his probable desire for innovation but also, as Judith Bronkhurst notes, “was dictated by practical and aesthetic considerations as well as religious inspiration” The dark of night also added strength to the idea of Christ, with his radiating halo as the Divine Light, and in turn contrasts with different natural and artificial illuminations. The lantern is the only man-made light while the rays from the unseen moon; the twinkling stars and the reflections of the frost-covered ground provide various natural lights. The Light of the World received mixed reviews at its first public showing at the R.A. in 1854. While some berated it as heresy, others, notably John Ruskin, were ardent in their praise. Later, especially after the publication of its engraving by William Henry Simmons and others, its fame gathered momentum. Its popularity escalated to such a peak that by the second half of the nineteenth century The Light of the World had generally been accepted throughout the world as the archetype of Christ the Saviour. The famous image of the nimbused Christ holding his lantern as he knocks on the weed-choked door of the human heart has been reproduced on countless walls and in religious literature Above the lamp’s arched openings are seven individually shaped apertures, Hunt himself noted that “the diversity of designs in the openings of the lantern were essential to the spiritual interpretation of the subject”. In a letter “from a clergyman” the writer proposed that the seven variously shaped apertures symbolised the diversity of spiritual gifts. Although we can only see three of the seven apertures , the others as well as the arched openings cast their own unique reflections upon Christ’s robes and face In a letter of 10th July 1854 to Thomas Combe, Hunt wrote “I rather like the picture to be left without any explanation”. But he later offered a brief outline of its meaning in his 1865 exhibition pamphlet noting that “physical light represented spiritual light – a lantern, the conservator of truth; rust, indicated the corrosion of living faculties; weeds, the idle affection; a neglected orchard, the uncared for riches of God’s garden; a bat, which loveth darkness, ignorance; a blossoming thorn, the glorification from suffering – a crown, kingly power; the sacerdotal vestment; the priestly office. JESUS CHRIST IS -THE WAY THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE Amen