"THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD."

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIX, Issue 8148, 24 May 1906, Page 7

"THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD."

AN INTERESTING DESCRIPTION A Maaterton resident has received from a Wellington relative, an interesting description of Holman Hunt's famous picture "The Light of the World," Inter alia the writer remarks—"The special charm of the picture however, is in the colouring and the light and shade effect. If you look back amongst the 'T.P.s' that you have I think you will find an article about Holman Hunt and Millais, and one or two others who founded the new eobool of realism or rational painting and how the young painters (then) fought for their ideals. —.Ruakiu I think praised their •efforts, you might look it up. Ho!man Hunt when he settled down seriously to painting gave his life up to it aud this and other religious pictures are the result. Be painted bis Xeligious pictures in prayer and fasting. Another well kaown work of his, is the 'The Shadow of the Gross"—this is a picture of Christ in the workahops of Nazareth before his mission began and He Is standing with outstretohed arms—the shadow (like a dross) falling on his mother—doubtless you know it. Well, to revert to the picture -we are describing. It was painted, so I read, by lantern light so that the artist should get the proper sbaie effects. Firstly—of course everything in the pioture has a significance—you will notice that the *'door" has no hinges nor handle, that is it oan only be opened from the inside. Secondly, you will probably see, if your print is a good one, the mark of the nail in the palm of the hand which is holding the lantern (this to my mind clearly iq to show that the picture is supposed to be of the risen Lordso many people went and saw the picture and came away with the the idea that It was to represent some inoident in the Life of Christ.) The crown oa tbe head and the royal robe of course pioture his kingship and that he has oome into his kingdom, the bat flying over bia head (tbe bat being a bird of night and therefore of darknean) is to represent the ignoranoe or darkness of tbe world and the apples are shown to indicate that it is a garden or orchard bringing forth fruit weeds, etc. He is represented as holding a lantern beoause the psalmist wrote *Thy Word is a lantern unto my feet and a light unto my path.' (I don't think my quotation is exactly right, bat you will know tbe psalm); secondly, tbe face, many people did not oare for tbe fact—they thought it was not a typical face. Personally, 1 do not oare for the typical face, the long effeminate face. I think it lacks strength. I like this face—it is a manly face—there are shadows under the eyes and in the oheeks, many people called it 'a fat face' but I looked closely at it and it is not so, tbe shadows are dearly the reflection of the cheek bones showing a face which had suffered, tbe oheeks, to my view, appeared thin although the face is square and full, the hair is beautiful, a light brown and ourly. The eyes, I oould not see the colour clearly, but a deep grey or light blue; now it was the ■eyes that rivited my attention, after gazing at the picture a little while they seemed to be possessed of life and soul (as someone wrote 'the eyes are the windows of the soul') they seemed to be earnestly gazing at you —not staring, for they were not large e>es. The beard is, as you will see, out olose, and brown; the crown is studded with jewels; the robe is a shining kind of cream, darkening in places, where the shadow is oast, to * grey: it comes down to the feet on which there are sandals. The robe is, on the outßide, a kind of flowery texture of old goli and some other tsolour, red and black, possibly, or red only, I can't recall and never could quite see; the inside is however, a bright red* not purple, a pretty red and the light, of the lantern on it 'is beautiful—all the inside, and down by the lantern is red.j A beautiful jewelled clasp "holds the cloak across the chest—xiontrast that with the oreamy white robe and the old gold flowery outside •of the cloak; the lantern is beautifully studded with jewels. 'The <loor' is of dark brown and the sfde, where brioks are, dull red. The nettles and thorns are very beautifully painted, and those near tbe ground catch the full light of the lantern—the light from the lantern is beautifully oast on the flgare and the door and, on tbe ground—a golden light—(the shadows are beautifully marked) this fades into a hazy blue extending into a very fine perspective. The trees, of •course are dark. The sky is dark blue as at night, with the stars whining. Then the grass and ground is, of course, green. To the left of the picture, then, and above it to the left, is brown—the light from the lantern—golden is in the front and behiod that a rtarfe blue. I hope rfrom this long description that ;you will gather a little idea of what the pioture looked like to my eyes anyhow—and you can possibly imagine something of the colouring although imporfeot as of course. For inntanoe, the red on the apples, the beautiful velvet red of She nettle leaves in tne foreground, I cannot remember or describe the mass of detail. Thirdly, as the pioture appeared to me—though full of detail —it is simple in its design and the figure seems to fill the pioture. The eyes riveted and fixed me, as I have said, but the pioture did not fill me with any religious emotion. It is a pioture, the value of which would, I should say, be in the after effedt, the remembranoe of it would work, the sadness of the faoe and the wonderful patience of the figure. It is however, a noble work, and I -am sorry I didn't, go oftener."