This biblical painting by William Holman Hunt, which was worked on from 1870-1873, expresses a rekindled interest in the classical movement of the 19th Century. This painting depicts Jesus stretching his arms out and they so happen to cast a shadow on the tool shelf behind him that reflects his death on the Cross, while the madam falls on her knees in praise and disbelief, bewildered by the shadow cast. The Bible made its way back into culture as it was revived in order to discredit the attacks made on it by modern scientists and to prove the words written inside it. This painting here reflects the increased focused on the historicity of Jesus, and the increased influence that the arts had over the first occurrences of the Bible in modern arts.
The madam? You must mean Mary, Jesus' mother. Anyway, this is a very interesting painting, fitting in right with the 19th century's Christian revival, as you rightly say. It's Jesus also symbolizes British Protestant values, such as the appreciation of honest labor (Jesus as a hard-working carpenter stretching his tired muscles) - check out the analysis of this painting on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shadow_of_Death
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