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| William Holman Hunt’s “The Shadow of Death” |
We recently spent a few hours at the Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester England. While it’s no Louvre or Prado, it does have a nice collection, particularly in their impressionist gallery. But the piece I was struck most by was from an artist I’ve not heard of, William Holman Hunt.
Hunt was an English painter in the 1800’s. It wasn’t his realistic style that appealed to me, it was the subject of “The Shadow of Death”. In it, Christ is depicted plainly and almost as a “regular guy”, his carpenter tools to his side and his hands reaching up as if he is measuring something. But there are three subtle features that give the viewer a clue that this man is extraordinary.
First there is the halo: not an overt depiction of an inexplicable gold wreath around his head, but the happenstance positioning of his head in front of the arch to blue sky beyond. Then, your eyes drawn to his face, you notice the resigned look…Father, into your hands I commend my spirit..that is so common in depictions of Christ, yet it could simply be the weariness of a tired laborer. And finally, there is the shadow of his arms on the far wall, as Hunt puts it in the title: the shadow of Jesus’ death, his arms to be stretched upon the cross.
I was reminded that not all depictions of Jesus are glory, halos, or crucifixion. Only a few weeks ago in Valencia we came across an unusual statue in the church of San Augustin. It was placed on the side wall of a chapel, the more typical depiction of a crucifix prominently displayed on the back wall facing the nave. It was a remarkably detailed depiction of the human body, the muscles of his legs, arms, and chest well-formed, the trickles of blood from his crown of thorns all too realistic. He is not the crucified Christ, the risen Christ, nor the good shepherd. He is loosely bound by a rope that dangles in front of him–reminding me of the cincture worn by Catholic priests–and holds a staff, for what purpose I’m not sure. We seem to be witnessing Jesus at the moment of his sentencing: the look of his face is similar to that resigned look in “The Shadow of Death”.
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| Statue of Christ at Iglesia San Augustin, Valencia Spain, Artist Unknown |
