"Stars, hide your fires/ Let not light see my black and deep desires."

These are the words of Macbeth as he prepares to commit regicide, ending the life of the honest king he served loyally for so many years. In Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy, Macbeth repeatedly performs bloody crimes under the guise of the "seeling night," and only at daybreak does the atrocity of his actions disturb his conscience. Eventually he himself becomes an agent of darkness, acting without reason or principle. With this disheartening story of the fine line between right and wrong, Shakespeare successfully juxtaposes light and dark with good and evil, touching upon the most archaic symbolism in human thought. The equivalence of light and goodness is witnessed in every aspect of society: it is referenced in literature, art, film, and even by parents when they wisely admonish, "nothing good happens late at night." Perhaps the symbolism of light and dark has such a prominent role in our psyche because it carries a connotation that cannot be removed: it is universally and inevitably understood that light, with its warmth and energy, brings health and prosperity to all living things. Thus, light is good in both the literal and figurative sense, and this concept dominates the human perception of life.

Art, which is the visual expression of the culmination of an individual’s thoughts and experiences, is a testament to the psychological and metaphysical meaning of light and dark. On visiting the Snite Museum of Art recently, I picked up a handout describing ways in which one can analyze and interpret artwork in order to understand its meaning and relevance in human culture. Having never taken an art history class, I knew the subject of the paintings would be lost on me without some guidance. I immediately saw that the directors at the museum understand the great importance of themes of light and dark: under the elements of technique on the handout was the word "light" in bold letters, advising the viewer to examine the clarity, shadows, and light source in paintings. With this advice I began to walk among the rooms of the museum. Finding the Rembrandt display, I searched for use of light and dark that might help me understand the artist’s intended meaning. Pausing at "Death of the Virgin," I noticed that the Virgin Mary lying on her deathbed was drawn in bold, dark lines. Above her were depicted angels descending from Heaven. These were drawn with a much lighter and sketchier hand, and overall the portion of Heaven that was depicted in the drawing was very light, while the dying Mary was surrounded by dark figures and shadows. Like Shakespeare, Rembrandt seemed to be drawing on our innate understanding of light as a positive presence, so that it was clear that the angels were in a holier and better place.

Next I stopped to see Gualtieri di Giovanni’s portrait of the "Madonna and Child." The Virgin was cloaked in black, which made her stand out against the shining gold background. The sharp contrast made it seem as though the she were floating, and I immediately thought of Heaven and Angels. The light reflected off the gold leaf in such a bright manner that I also thought of the sun, which is a symbol of life. I noticed that the light was used in such a way as to call to mind the holiness and purity of the Virgin. Not only was the background symbolic of the eternal light of Heaven and Truth, it was also made of real gold, so it was literally richer and purer than other mediums.

Admiring the medieval portrayal of the Virgin Mother, I was reminded of another literary work that places a great emphasis on the concealing and corrupted nature of darkness and the revealing and enlightening nature of light. The Name of the Rose is set in approximately the same time period as Giovanni’s portrait, in the same religious atmosphere that probably inspired Giovanni’s work. Throughout the story murders occur during the mysterious night hours, and only during the day are the crimes discovered. The protagonist is consumed by a desire to cast light on the mystery, which will reveal the truth and secure a rare book at the same time. However, he is hindered by the concealing darkness, which shadows not only the diabolical crimes at the abbey but also his understanding of the murderer’s motive and method. Ironically, the mastermind of the crimes lives in perpetual darkness: he is severed from both the spiritual light of God in his selfish protection of the book, and the earthly light of day in his blindness. The true plot behind the murders is not discovered until just before a great fire consumes the abbey, dissolving the darkness of the night and enlightening the community as to the identity of the true criminal.

Keeping in mind the use of light in the artwork at the Snite and in literature such as The Name of the Rose, I reflected on the meaning of light in human thought. In both the artwork and literature, light was associated with God, holiness, virtue and Truth. Could it be that the life-giving nature of physical light instills in us a feeling that it is a pathway to the Eternal Life? I recalled the words of Abbot Suger, upon whom the abbot’s character in The Name of the Rose is based: "Marvel not at the gold and the expense but at the craftsmanship of the work. Bright is the noble work; but, being nobly bright, the work should brighten the minds, so that they may travel, through the true lights, to the True Light where Christ is the true door." It would seem that gold is a popular medium in religious paintings because golden light is a medium through which God can be experienced. Similarly, daylight is juxtaposed with knowledge and revelation in literature because through the Light of God we discover Truth. As earthly creatures we naturally associate light with goodness: the sun brings comforting warmth after the cold night, brightens the day so that we are aware of where danger lies, and feeds the plants we rely on for sustenance. Even the act of birth is marked by a transition from darkness into light and life. In contemplating this, my mind wandered back to Rembrandt’s sketch of the "Death of the Virgin." Though the angels were portrayed in an area of light above the deathbed, their forms were nebulous and lacked definition. Perhaps, despite the concerted human effort to grasp what is holy and bright, the True Light always lies just beyond our reach: the ultimate Truth is never quite realized, just as the monastery’s infamous book is never read, and Rembrandt’s angels remain ethereal and indefinite.