[Rembrandt_fan]

Holman Hunt is Thomas Kincaid's spiritual grandfather. Did you ever see Hunt's 'Light of the World' depiction of Christ? Am I the only one who thinks that it is, hands-down, the most sickeningly sweet, maudlin portrait of the Savior ever? It looks as if he confused Jesus with Santa Claus.

Sorry. Something about Holman Hunt's work just ticks me off. His paintings make me want to shoot cute little cherubs from the sky with a shotgun. Go figure.

[Republicanprofessor]

I love your comments!

Is this the Light of the World to which you refer?

I think I agree with you, although there may other works that are more maudlin. I like the comment about Santa Claus too.

[AnAmericanMother]

I've seen the original "Light of the World", in St. Paul's Cathedral. There are several different versions and Hunt painted the face differently each time. He did repaint faces (most notably in "The Awakening Conscience" - because the purchaser couldn't live with the agony in the kept woman's face.) I think this is the one in St. Paul's -

Maybe it was the setting (in a dark vaulted space), maybe it was the fact that the picture itself is rather dark (it was REALLY lit up for this photo), but it didn't seem sicky-sweet to me. Now, you want sicky-sweet. . .

B. Plockhorst, "Christ Blessing the Little Children"

V. Vogelstein, "Suffer the Little Children"

(You can always count on sentimental artists to paint THAT Bible verse . . . just google it and you'll go into immediate hyperglycemia . . . )

And the Kincaid reference is a really low blow. Has that charlatan ever actually painted a human figure in any of those tacky things of his?

[AnAmericanMother]

But you do like the "Magdalen Tower", don't you? The sky is a tour de force. (I guess you might extend your strictures on cherubs to choirboys, though?)