"The Light of the World"

The Light of the World is a painting in oil on canvas, produced in the early 1850s by the English artist William Holman Hunt (1827–1910). It is considered one of the most significant allegorical works of the Pre-Raphaelite movement.

Hunt painted the door as ancient and overgrown with no external handle, in order to represent the problems of a closed mind.

Jesus Christ is dressed in a long, golden robe carrying a decorative lantern. He is making his way through a dense forest, late at night. Christ's halo shines brightly, with his figure placed centrally in order to attract the focus of the viewer some have suggested that it is not in fact a halo, but instead a representation of salvation.

Christ lifts his right hand, whilst looking directly at us. He is depicted as a relatively young man, albeit with a long, thick beard. A cloak hangs over his shoulders and is beautifully decorated, combining tones of gold and red. To the left hand side we find tall plants that provide a vertical balance to the painting.

The meaning of his raised hand is to signify Jesus knocking on the door, as written in the religious scripture. The door itself is placed on the left hand side, angled away from us, and the plants below are deliberately painted in an aged, limp condition, signifying how Jesus is arriving as a saviour.

In the background, various trees and branches encircle his halo, setting the scene perfectly, and just allowing a small amount of light to show through. The top of the canvas is curved, signifying how the work was originally intended to be hung within an agreed location, as opposed to a more standard, rectangular format.

There maybe additional symbols within the background of the work, with some suggesting that the trees perhaps represent an apple tree orchard. Such a fruit brings a wealth of meaning, when combined with Christian themes, including most notably the garden of Eden. It is unlikely that this would have been a mere coincidence, as Holman Hunt placed considerable thought and planning into the composition.

The painting is displayed in the side chapel at Keble College, Oxford,