I really love Jane Williams' art/devotional books books so I've used this book for Advent for a few years now. (Others of hers I can recommend are Faces of Christ: Jesus in Art, Angels.) Every day of Advent I find food for thought and
inspiration. Sometimes the art leads to other reflections than directly
on the painting but it is the way that Williams opens up the art,
connecting it with Advent, that I love most.
Here's a bit on the Holman Hunt painting, Light of the World.
Holman Hunt's picture is full of symbolism, all of it taking us more deeply into Advent reflection. There are three light sources in the painting, but they all cluster around Jesus. Behind him is the dawn light, struggling to make its way through the dark woods, towards that central figure. Then there is the lantern that Jesus is carrying, a bright, homely light to welcome wandering travelers. And finally, there is the light that shines around Jesus' head, his own inner brightness, from which the other lights take their meaning. Behind Jesus are threatening, twisted trees, shedding rotting fruit to the ground. They are the trees that Adam and Eve ate from, and the tree on which Jesus dies, and all our long family trees, waiting to be lit up and filled with life again. The lantern that Jesus is holding throws a reddish light back on to his cloak, which makes it look similar to the wood of the door. After all, Jesus said that he is the door or the gateway (John 10:7). So we have two doorways, facing each other, as we wait to see whether one will open to the other. ...
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