Portret van John Newton 1799

Govert Kitsen created this portrait of John Newton using printmaking techniques. Newton, an Anglican clergyman, lived a life marked by profound transformation. Initially, he was involved in the transatlantic slave trade, later becoming an outspoken abolitionist. It's a history we must not forget when looking at this image of a man of God. The portrait shows us a man of authority, a man of the cloth, but doesn't reveal the complexities of his involvement in an industry built on the suffering of others. His personal experience of spiritual awakening profoundly shaped his later activism against slavery. Newton himself wrote of his past, “It is indeed a great stain upon my life, that I was once an active instrument in a business at which my heart now shudders.” This print asks us to reflect on how individuals grapple with their past actions and the capacity for change and redemption. It's a reminder of the intricate relationship between personal identity, moral responsibility, and historical context.