Next to Jonah we see Isaiah, the enthusiast, prophesying the coming of
Christ’s kingdom. Note how the light falls on the head and shoulders,
and on the upraised arms of the prophet, and is echoed, so to speak, by
the light on the lower folds of his robe. All lines and lights lead the
eye upward, even as Isaiah sought to lift his people up into a higher,
better world. He is the hopeful figure in this group of four.
Habakkuk stands next with his far-seeing eyes missing the heavenly
visions which surround Isaiah, but seeing the sorrows and evils of the
world and trying in vain to remedy them.
The next group to the right represents the three prophets of hope,
Haggai, Malacchi, and Zechariah, all pointing toward the section of the
wall where Mr. Sargent’s new painting, “The Sermon on the Mount,” will
be placed when finished. The one doubtful figure, Micah, who is looking
back, serves to hold this section of the picture to the other figures in
the frieze.