The Light of the World (painting)

The Light of the World (Keble College version)

The Light of the World (1851–1854) is an allegorical painting by the English Pre-Raphaelite artist William Holman Hunt (1827–1910) representing the figure of Jesus preparing to knock on an overgrown and long-unopened door, illustrating Revelation 3:20: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me". According to Hunt: "I painted the picture with what I thought, unworthy though I was, to be divine command, and not simply a good subject."[1] The door in the painting has no handle, and can therefore be opened only from the inside, representing "the obstinately shut mind".[2] The painting was considered by many to be the most important and culturally influential rendering of Christ of its time.[3]

The Light of the World (Manchester version)
  1. ^ "William Holman Hunt Artworks". The Art Story. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  2. ^ Hunt, W. H. (1905). Pre-Raphaelitism and the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Vol. I. London: Macmillan. p. 350.
  3. ^ Landow, George P. (December 2001). "The Light of the World". Victorian Web. Archived from the original on 14 September 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2016.