Sketches for "The Triumph of the Innocents" c. 19th century

Editor: This sheet presents William Holman Hunt's sketches for "The Triumph of the Innocents." The studies of children are gestural, raw even. What symbols or deeper meanings do you see emerging from these preliminary figures? Curator: I see a cultural memory of innocence lost. The huddled forms, the figures amidst flames… these evoke the biblical Massacre of the Innocents, a potent symbol of persecution and suffering. Hunt is tapping into centuries of artistic and religious tradition. What feelings do these symbols evoke in you? Editor: A sense of vulnerability, of course, and the universality of childhood innocence threatened. It's interesting how sketches can carry such weight. Curator: Indeed. The image resonates because it touches on archetypal themes deeply embedded in our collective consciousness.