In this post, I will continue to reflect upon the painting Christ in the House of his Parents by John Everett Millais. Last week, in part one, I explored the reasons why critics reacted so strongly against this painting.
To summarize, the critics attacked Millais’ use of gothic techniques and symbols, which they associated with Catholicism. The painting exhibited in the year 1850, a particularly contentious year between Catholics and Protestants in England. Cardinal Wiseman, the charming yet bold Catholic bishop, had gone to Rome to persuade the pope to reinstate a hierarchy of Catholic bishops in England. He had already been successful in converting many through numerous apologetic lectures and had also made great efforts to restore images and splendor to the Catholic liturgy, which had suffered in hiding under the penal laws. After he returned from Rome in 1850, having successfully conv…
