William Holman Hunt

Every post here is by William Holman Hunt.

Erisava Staff Jul 27

The Light of the World by William Holman Hunt, 1853

The Light of the World

Keble College · wikidata.org

Public domain

Reviewers gave it a kicking when it first went on show, until Ruskin wrote to The Times to spell out what all the overgrown weeds and the handle-less door were meant to mean — after that it caught on enormously, and he painted later versions that were sent round the world. He's said to have done the night parts outdoors in an orchard, sitting out through winter to get the light right.