A woman jumps over a puddle of rainwater in north London on August 2, 2023. Met Office has issued a yellow severe weather weather for heavy downpours, strong winds and thunderstorms throughout today in London, and in many other parts of England and Wales. (Photo by Dinendra Haria/London News Pictures)

Commuters attempt to shelter as they cross London Bridge during wet and windy weather in Central London on November 1, 2023. Yellow weather warnings for wind and rain are in place for parts of England as Storm Ciarán begins to influence weather in the United Kingdom. (Photo by George Cracknell Wright)

Tourists view Hukou Waterfall on the Yellow River in the frigid winter on December 28, 2023 in Yan'an, Shaanxi Province of China. Freezing winter air has turned Hukou Waterfall into an icy wonderland. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

The Rio Tinto river in Spain crosses an ancient mining site which makes the water turn a variety of bright colours. Copper, silver and gold are mined here, as well as iron, which turns the water red. An ochre mix is responsible for the yellow tint of the rest of the river. (Photo by Olivier Jarry-Lancombe/Solent News)

Winner. “I took this vertical image in the Quarry Bay district of Hong Kong during the dusk ‘blue hour’, when there was a perfect balance between the ambient light in the sky and the artificial lights of the high-rise residential buildings”. (Photo by Jatinder Heer/The Guardian)

Light is the sole reason why life exists. It provides us with warmth; it allows us to see; it nourishes all the living things on this planet. Many painters, especially the masters of Old Renaissance Period, have recognized the importance of light and its intimate connection with nature and life itself. In their paintings they gave tribute to light, giving the impression that their paintings had a light source hidden within them. Al Hogue, the artist who created the paintings that you see before you, has studied their techniques for many years. As time went by, light permeated not only his paintings by also his life, becoming his sole philosophy.