The Wicked Husbandmen (The Parables of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ) 1864

Sir John Everett Millais created this print, "The Wicked Husbandmen," using wood engraving, to illustrate one of the parables of Jesus. Notice how Millais uses light and shadow to create a stark contrast between the foreground, where the murdered servant lies, and the background, where the conspirators lurk in the doorway. The body is sprawled awkwardly across the stones, its limbs askew, suggesting a loss of control and the finality of death. The vine leaves, rendered with meticulous detail, frame the scene, their dark tendrils reaching out like grasping hands. This introduces an element of entrapment and foreboding. The composition is structured to draw our eye from the victim to the shadowy figures, emphasizing the narrative of betrayal and violence. Millais masterfully uses the visual language of light and form to convey a potent message about human nature and morality. The artwork remains a powerful meditation on the darker aspects of the human condition.