Hunt's works were not successful at first, and were widely attacked in the art press. They were thought clumsy and ugly. All the same, his was noticed for the naturalistic scenes of modern rural and urban life, such as "The Hireling Shepherd" and "The Awakening Conscience". However, it was with his religious paintings that he became famous, initially "The Light of the World" (1851–1853), now in the chapel at Keble College, Oxford; a later version (1900) toured the world and now has its home in St Paul's Cathedral.