As well as being a candidate for having the longest beard in the kingdom, Holman Hunt found himself a celebrity for quite another reason. As a painter he had had a moderate reputation. When he painted ‘The Light of the World’, he achieved stardom overnight. The picture that adorns the chapel of Keble College, Oxford and the copy in St Paul’s Cathedral, London not only served as an evangelistic tool. It made people aware that something new was happening in the art world. That new something was the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.
Hunt started it all. He was joined by Millais, Rossetti and others in going back to a style of painting that preceded the Renaissance. It was keen on detail, on telling a story, on symbolism. Millais became a crowd-puller with his ‘Bubbles’, a painting of a dreamy boy that was turned into a marketing tool for Pears soap and adorned many Victorian parlours. Millais also touched a sensitive spot with ‘Christ in the House of his Parents’ and ‘Ophelia’, with the love-lorn lady afloat in the river Hogsmill in Surrey. But ‘The Light of the World’ overtopped them all in popular response. It seemed to be the clearest possible expression in a restrained and stilted manner of Christ seeking permission to enter a sinner’s life.
Other artists joined the brotherhood in a later manifestation. Burne-Jones gained a reputation for his stained glass. Morris was of course leading the charge in the Arts and Crafts movement with his emphasis on hand-made objects, It could be seen as part of a re-launch of medievalism, the enthusiasm that spawned scores of neo-gothic church buildings and the Houses of Parliament.
The depiction of Christianity in graphic terms has tempted artists throughout history. It is necessary to mention only Leonardo, Michelangelo, El Greco and Dali to be reminded of the various forms this has taken. The PRG is a particularly English approach to that temptation.
FEATURING DUCCIO
Known as the church in the Market Place, St Mary’s, Ilkeston, Derbyshire features in its ‘Contact’ magazine Duccio, a painter working in Siena. His picture of Peter’s denial comes from a major work on a page entitled ‘God in the Arts’. The magazine also welcomes a new curate, Onyekachi Julius Anozie, and has pictures of a classic car show in the market-place that raised £368 for church funds. Leading the ministry team is Andrew Baguley.
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