William Holman Hunt's 'The Scapegoat'

Introduction The Scapegoat is a painting by William Holman Hunt that depicts the "scapegoat" described in the Book of Leviticus. The painting was commissioned in 1854 by the Dead Sea, during his stay in the Holy Land, but wasn’t finished until 1855 in London. It is oil painting on canvas with the dimensions of 33.7 cm × 45.9 cm. It is being held at the Manchester Art Gallery. Inscribed on the frame are two quotes from the Old Testament. The first come from the book of Isaiah 'Surely he hath borne our Griefs, and carried our Sorrows/Yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of GOD, and afflicted.' (Isaiah LIII, 4) The second is from Leviticus 'And the Goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a Land not inhabited.' (Leviticus XVI, 22) On the Day of Atonement, a goat would have its horns wrapped with a red cloth – representing the sins of the community – and be driven off. . Hunt believed that the goat represents the aspect of the Messiah described in Isaiah as a “suffering servant” of God. Hunt makes what some consider the myth of Jesus his own by making a parallel or a direct comparison to a scapegoat, because it is said that Jesus is the world’s scapegoat. He depicts a story
A review in the Times commented, ‘Were it not for the title annexed it would be difficult to define the nature of the subject.’ Other criticisms were levelled at the composition and the artist’s concentration on his subject matter at the expense of draughtsman ship. Ruskin a harsh critic said ‘This picture, regarded merely as a landscape, or as a composition, is a total failure. Mr Hunt …in his earnest desire to paint the Scapegoat has forgotten to ask himself first, whether he could paint a goat at all’. The coloring used is very dark with an underlying of light that contrast which helps to portray the light, good, against a dark