Show HALO DUE TO misconception ddn explanation of luminous circle about the heads of saints saint Is 1 somewhat humorous Humo rou for centuries it has been an almost universal practice among artists to paint halos above tile the heads of the saints in choir pictures some characters have been so depicted even though not officially canonized or iou to that ceremony when the artist wished to indicate special spiritual qualities or holiness as for instance in the case of joan of arc during the eleventh and twelfth centuries there was a great activity in the building of churches and cathedrals and st it was a common practice to erect around the outside of tile the buildings statues of tile the saints which we were re placed just under th ule e eaves As the images became discolored colored dia by the rain which fell upon the roofs and then poured over them the authorities as a means of protection placed over the heads of the figures ft bodon disks of a size sufficient to protect them gatto the great artist began to paint holy pictures when only a country boy and in his ignorance assumed that the disks were essential parts of the images of the saints alence his big earliest paintings represent each sacred figure wearing over the head something that looks like the bottom of a tub later on lie he idealized this into a mere circle dark at first but growing more luminous with each production until finally foially lie developed tile the circle of light that has conic come down unchanged through generations of painters oa as the bidge badge of sanctity new york post |