The theme of the painting is the return of the prodigal son. Description of the painting “The Return of the Prodigal Son” by Rembrandt

Based on the New Testament parable of the Prodigal Son, exhibited in the Hermitage.

The painting depicts the final episode of the parable, when the prodigal son returns home, “and while he was still far away, his father saw him and had compassion; and, running, fell on his neck and kissed him,” and his elder righteous brother, who remained with his father, became angry and did not want to enter.

The plot attracted the attention of Rembrandt's famous predecessors: Durer, Bosch, Luke of Leiden, Rubens.

This is the largest painting by Rembrandt on religious theme.

Several people gathered on a small area in front of the house. On the left side of the picture a kneeling prodigal son is depicted with his back to the viewer. His face is not visible, his head is written in profil perdu. The father gently touches his son's shoulders, hugging him. Painting - classic example compositions where the main thing is strongly shifted from the central axis of the picture for the most accurate disclosure of the main idea of the work. “Rembrandt highlights the main thing in the picture with light, focusing our attention on it. Composition center is located almost at the edge of the picture. The artist balances the composition with the figure of his eldest son standing on the right. Placing the main semantic center at one third of the distance in height corresponds to the law of the golden ratio, which artists have used since ancient times to achieve the greatest expressiveness of their creations.”

Shaved head like a convict's prodigal son and his tattered clothes indicate a fall. The collar retains a hint of past luxury. The shoes are worn out, and touching detail- one fell when the son knelt down. In the depths one can discern a porch and behind it one’s father’s house. The master placed the main figures at the junction of the picturesque and real spaces(later the canvas was placed at the bottom, but according to the author’s plan, its lower edge was at the level of the toes of the kneeling son). “The depth of space is conveyed by the consistent weakening of light and shadow and color contrasts, starting from the foreground. In fact, it is built by the figures of witnesses to the scene of forgiveness, gradually dissolving into the twilight.” “We have a decentralized composition with main group(the event node) on the left and a caesura separating it from the group of witnesses to the event on the right. The event causes the participants in the scene to react differently. The plot is built according to the “response” compositional scheme.”

In addition to father and son, the picture depicts 4 more characters. These are dark silhouettes that are difficult to distinguish dark background, but who they are remains a mystery. Some called them the protagonist's "brothers and sisters." It is characteristic that Rembrandt avoids conflict: the parable speaks of the jealousy of an obedient son, and the harmony of the picture is not disturbed in any way.

Hermitage employee Irina Linnik believes that Rembrandt’s canvas has a prototype in a woodcut by Cornelis Antonissen (1541), in which a kneeling son and father are also depicted surrounded by figures. But on the engraving these figures are inscribed - Faith, Hope, Love, Repentance and Truth. In the heavens, the engraving reads "God" in Greek, Hebrew and Latin. An X-ray of the Hermitage painting showed the initial similarity of Rembrandt’s painting with the details of the mentioned engraving. However, a direct analogy cannot be drawn - the picture has only a distant resemblance to one of Antonissen’s allegories (the farthest and almost disappearing in the darkness), which resembles an allegory of Love, and, in addition, has a red medallion in the shape of a heart. Perhaps this is an image of the mother of the prodigal son.

The two figures in the background, located in the center (apparently female, perhaps a maid or another personified allegory; and male), are more difficult to guess. The sitting young man with a mustache, if you follow the plot of the parable, may be the second, obedient brother. There is speculation that in fact the second brother is the previous “female” figure hugging the column. Moreover, perhaps this is not just a column - in shape it resembles the pillar of the Jerusalem Temple and may well symbolize the pillar of the Law, and the fact that the righteous brother is hiding behind it takes on a symbolic meaning.

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Rembrandt painted his painting “The Return of the Prodigal Son” shortly before his death. Some art experts call this painting the culmination of his work. But few people know that the famous biblical story became a reflection of real tragic events in the life of a master.

The biblical plot of the picture is known, perhaps, to everyone. The father had two sons. The eldest helped his father in running the household, and the younger demanded his part of the inheritance and went to indulge in all the vices wild life. When the money ran out, the unlucky son found himself at the very bottom. He had to herd pigs for a bowl of porridge, wander, and beg. As a result, he decided to return to his father’s house and fall on his knees before his parent. The father forgives his son.

It was this moment in the parable that the most famous painters. Rembrandt also depicted the scene of the prodigal son arriving home. However, his work differs from the paintings of other painters.

If you compare the paintings of Rembrandt and other artists, their striking contrast becomes visible. For example, Jan Steen, who at one time was much more popular than Rembrandt, in the picture the plot is the same, but executed in a more optimistic manner. The servants blow the horn, lead the slaughter of the calf, and carry good clothes.

Almost the same thing is observed in Spanish artist Murillo. A charming calf, clothes on a tray, and a joyful dog are immediately visible again.

Rembrandt lacks all unnecessary attributes, he focused only on the emotions of father and son. It would be more correct to say that the emotions on the face of the prodigal son are not visible, but his appearance and posture can say a lot. Torn clothes, worn-out shoes, calluses on the feet - all this so deeply conveys the emotionality of the scene. And also love, forgiving love father...

The master wrote “The Return of the Prodigal Son” almost immediately after terrible tragedy that befell him. His only son, Titus, passed away. He was the fruit of love between Rembrandt and his adored wife Saskia. Titus is the only surviving child in the family; the other three died in infancy.

The father, distraught with grief, was persistently visited by thoughts of suicide. Only work on the painting “The Return of the Prodigal Son” helped prevent him from committing it. Rembrandt seemed to project himself into the place of the father in the biblical story, who had the happiness of hugging his child.

At the peak of his popularity, Rembrandt made good money, but

Perhaps no other painting by Rembrandt inspires such sublime feelings as this painting. In world art, there are few works of such intense emotional impact as the monumental Hermitage painting “The Return of the Prodigal Son.”

The plot is taken from the New Testament

Return of the Prodigal Son" - - this is a feeling of boundless joy of family and paternal protection. This is probably why we can call the father the main character, and not the prodigal son, who became the reason for the manifestation of generosity. Ethen grief over lost youth, regret that it is impossible to return the lost days.

This story attracted many famous predecessors of Rembrandt: Durer, Bosch, Luke of Leiden, Rubens.

Return of the Prodigal Son, 1669. Oil on canvas, 262x206.
State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg

One man had two sons. The youngest son wanted to get his part of the estate, and the father divided the estate between his sons. Soon younger son gathered everything he had and went to a distant country. There he squandered all his wealth on a dissolute life. In the end he found himself in dire need and was forced to work as a swineherd.

He was so hungry that he was ready to fill his stomach with the slop that was given to the pigs. But he was deprived of this too, because... famine began in the country. And then he thought: “How many servants are there in my father’s house and there is enough food for all of them. And here I am dying of hunger. I will go back to my father and say that I have sinned against heaven and him.” And he returned home. When he was still far away, his father saw him and felt sorry for his son. He ran to meet him, hugged him and began to kiss him.

He said: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you and am no longer worthy to be called your son.” But the father said to his servants: “Go quickly and bring him best clothes and put it on. Place a ring on his hand and put sandals on him. Bring a fattened calf and slaughter it. Let's make a feast and celebrate. After all, my son was dead, and now he is alive again! He was lost and now he is found!” And they began to celebrate.

The eldest son was in the field at that time. When he approached the house, he heard music and dancing in the house. He called one of the servants and asked what was happening there. “Your brother came,” answered the servant, “and your father killed the fatted calf, because his son is healthy and everything is fine with him.”

The eldest son became angry and did not even want to enter the house. Then the father came out and began to beg him. But the son said: “All these years I worked for you as a slave, and always did everything you said. But you never slaughtered even a kid for me so that I could have fun with my friends.

But when this son of yours, who had wasted all your property on debauchery, returned home, you slaughtered a fattened calf for him!” "My son! - the father said then, “you are always with me, and everything I have is all yours.” But we should rejoice that your brother was dead, and now he is alive again, he was lost and is found!”

The religious meaning of the parable is this: no matter how a person sins, repentance will always be rewarded with joyful forgiveness.

ABOUT THE PICTURE

This picture is undoubtedly the crowning later creativity Rembrandt, about the repentant return of the son, about the selfless forgiveness of the father, clearly and convincingly reveals the deep humanity of the story.

Rembrandt highlights the main thing in the picture with light, focusing our attention on it. The compositional center is located almost at the edge of the picture. The artist balances the composition with a figure standing on the right.

As always, the artist’s imagination depicted everything that was happening very specifically. There is not a single place in the huge canvas that is not filled with subtle changes in color. The action takes place at the entrance of a house standing to our right, entwined with ivy and veiled in darkness.

The prodigal son, collapsing to his knees in front of his decrepit father, who in his wanderings reached the last stage of poverty and humiliation, is an image that with amazing power embodies the tragic path of learning about life. The wanderer is wearing clothes that were once rich, but have now turned into rags. The left one of his tattered sandals fell off his foot.

But it is not the eloquence of the narrative that determines the impression of this picture. In the majestic, strict images, the depth and tension of feelings are revealed here, and Rembrandt achieves this in the complete absence of dynamics - actual action - in the entire picture.

FATHER AND SON

The picture is dominated by “only one figure - the father, depicted from the front, with a wide, blessing gesture of his hands, which he places almost symmetrically on his son’s shoulders.

The father is a dignified old man, with noble features, dressed in regal-sounding red robes. Take a close look at this man - he seems older than time itself, and his blind eyes are as inexplicable as the young man’s rags painted in gold. The dominant position of the father in the picture is confirmed by both silent triumph and hidden splendor. It reflects compassion, forgiveness and love.

A father who places his hands on his son's dirty shirt as if he were performing a sacred sacrament, overwhelmed by the depth of feeling, he should hold on to his son as well as hold him...

From the noble head of the father, from his precious robe, our gaze descends to the shorn head, the criminal skull of the son, to his rags hanging randomly on his body, to the soles of his feet, boldly exposed towards the viewer, blocking his view...

The master placed the main figures at the junction of the picturesque and the real spaces (later the canvas was placed at the bottom, but according to the author’s plan, its lower edge was at the level of the toes kneeling son

At present, the picture has become very dark, and therefore, in ordinary light, only foreground, narrow stage area with a group of father and son on the left and a tall wanderer in a red cloak, who stands to our right on the last - second - step of the porch. From the depths of the darkness behind the canvas a mysterious light pours.

It gently envelops the figure, as if blinded before our eyes, of the old father, who stepped out of the darkness to meet us, and of the son, who, with his back to us, fell to the old man’s knees, asking for forgiveness. But there are no words. Only the hands, the seeing hands of the father, tenderly feel the dear flesh. The silent tragedy of recognition, returned love, so masterfully conveyed by the artist.

SECONDARY FIGURES

In addition to father and son, the picture depicts 4 more characters. These are dark silhouettes that are difficult to distinguish against a dark background, but who they are remains a mystery. Some called them the protagonist's "brothers and sisters." It is characteristic that Rembrandt avoids conflict: the parable speaks of the jealousy of an obedient son, and the harmony of the picture is not disturbed in any way.

The woman in the upper left corner

Figure, which resembles an allegory of Love, and, in addition, has a red heart-shaped medallion. Perhaps this is an image of the mother of the prodigal son.

Two figures in the background, located in the center (apparently female, possibly a maid.The sitting young man with a mustache, if you follow the plot of the parable, may be the second, obedient brother.

The researchers' attention is drawn to the figure of the last witness, located on the right side of the picture. She plays important role in the composition and written almost as brightly as the main characters. His face expresses sympathy, and the traveling cloak he wears and staff in the hands suggest that this, like the prodigal son, is a lonely wanderer.

There is another version that the two figures on the right side of the picture: a young man in a beret and a standing man are the same father and son who are depicted on the other half, but only before the prodigal son leaves the house towards revelry. Thus, the canvas seems to combine two chronological plans. It has been suggested that these two figures are an image of the publican and the Pharisee from the gospel parable.

Flutist

In profile, a bas-relief on the right side of the standing witness depicts a musician playing the flute. His figure perhaps recalls the music that, in a few moments, will fill his father’s house with sounds of joy. T.

The circumstances surrounding the painting are mysterious. It is believed to have been written in last years life of an artist. Changes and corrections to the original concept of the painting, visible on the x-ray, indicate the authenticity of the canvas.

Drawing from 1642

Rembrandt "Return of the Prodigal Son". Etching on paper, State Museum, Amsterdam

How did this picture get to Russia?

Prince Dmitry Alekseevich Golitsyn bought it on behalf of Catherine II for the Hermitage in 1766 from Andre d'Ansezen, the last Duke of Cadrousse. And he, in turn, inherited the painting from his wife, whose grandfather, Charles Colbert, carried out diplomatic assignments for Louis XIV in Holland and most likely acquired it there.

Rembrandt died at 63 completely alone, but discovered painting as a path to the best of worlds, as the unity of the existence of image and thought.

His work of recent years is not only a reflection on the meanings biblical story about the prodigal son, but also the ability to accept oneself without anything and forgive first oneself, rather than seeking forgiveness from God or higher powers.

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The plot attracted the attention of Rembrandt's famous predecessors: Durer, Bosch, Luke of Leiden, Rubens.

Description

This is Rembrandt's largest painting on a religious theme.

Several people gathered on a small area in front of the house. On the left side of the picture a kneeling prodigal son is depicted with his back to the viewer. His face is not visible, his head is written in profile perdu. The father gently touches his son's shoulders, hugging him. The painting is a classic example of a composition where the main thing is strongly shifted from the central axis of the picture in order to most accurately reveal the main idea of the work. “Rembrandt highlights the main thing in the picture with light, focusing our attention on it. The compositional center is located almost at the edge of the picture. The artist balances the composition with the figure of his eldest son standing on the right. The placement of the main semantic center at one third of the distance in height corresponds to the law of the golden ratio, which has been used by artists since ancient times to achieve the greatest expressiveness of their creations.”

The prodigal son's head, shaved like a convict's, and his tattered clothes indicate his fall. The collar retains a hint of past luxury. The shoes are worn out, and a touching detail is that one fell when the son knelt down. In the depths one can discern a porch and behind it one’s father’s house. The master placed the main figures at the junction of the pictorial and real spaces (later the canvas was placed at the bottom, but according to the author’s plan, its lower edge was at the level of the toes of the kneeling son). “The depth of space is conveyed by a consistent weakening of light and shadow and color contrasts, starting from the foreground. In fact, it is built by the figures of witnesses to the scene of forgiveness, gradually dissolving into the twilight.” “Before us is a decentralized composition with the main group (event node) on the left and a caesura separating it from the group of witnesses to the event on the right. The event causes the participants in the scene to react differently. The plot is built according to the “response” compositional scheme.”

Minor characters

The researchers' attention is drawn to the figure of the last witness, located on the right side of the picture. She plays an important role in the composition and is written almost as vividly as the main characters. His face expresses sympathy, and the traveling cloak he is wearing and the staff in his hands suggest that he, like the prodigal son, is a lonely wanderer. Israeli researcher Galina Luban believes that this image is associated with the figure of the Eternal Jew. According to other assumptions, he is the eldest son, which does not coincide with the age description of the New Testament character, although he is also bearded and dressed like his father. However, this rich clothing is also a refutation of the version, since according to the Gospel, having heard about the return of his brother, he came running straight from the field, where, most likely, he was in work clothes. Some researchers see in this figure a self-portrait of Rembrandt himself.

There is also a version that the two figures on the right side of the picture: a young man in a beret and a standing man are the same father and son who are depicted on the other half, but only before the prodigal son leaves the house towards revelry. Thus, the canvas seems to combine two chronological plans. It has been suggested that these two figures are a representation of the publican and the Pharisee from the gospel parable.

Story

Circumstances of creation

This is not the artist’s only work on this subject. In 1635, he painted the painting “The Prodigal Son in a Tavern (Self-Portrait with Saskia on his Lap),” which reflected an episode of the legend about the prodigal son squandering his father’s inheritance. In 1636, Rembrandt created an etching, and in 1642 a drawing (Taylor Museum in Haarlem).

The circumstances surrounding the painting are mysterious. It is believed to have been written in the last years of the artist’s life. Changes and corrections to the original concept of the painting, noticeable on the x-ray photograph, indicate the authenticity of the canvas.

The dating of 1666-1669 is considered controversial by some. Art historians G. Gerson and I. Linnik proposed dating the painting to 1661 or 1663.

Plot

According to the parable, one day the son, the youngest in the family, wanted to start independent life and demanded his share of the inheritance. In essence, this symbolized that he wished his father to die, because the division of property occurs only after the death of the eldest in the family. The young man received what he asked for and left his father's house. Living beyond his means and the worsening economic situation in the country where he found himself led to the fact that the young man soon squandered everything he had. He was faced with a choice - death or repentance: “How many of my father’s hired servants have an abundance of bread, but I am dying of hunger; I will get up and go to my father and say to him: Father! I have sinned against heaven and before you and am no longer worthy to be called your son; accept me as one of your hired servants."

When the father met his son, he ordered the best calf to be slaughtered and a holiday to be held. At the same time, he utters a phrase that is sacramental for all Christianity: “This son of mine was dead and is alive, he was lost and is found.” This is an allegory of the return of lost sinners to the fold of the church.

"The Prodigal Son in the Tavern" (1635). Another title is “Self-portrait with Saskia on her lap.”
On the canvas, Rembrandt depicted himself as a prodigal son, wasting his father's inheritance

The eldest son, returning from field work and learning why the holiday was started, became angry: “I have served you for so many years and never violated your orders, but you never gave me even a kid so that I could have fun with my friends; and when this son of yours, who squandered his wealth with harlots, came, you killed the fatted calf for him.” And although his father called him to mercy, from the parable we do not learn what decision the eldest son makes.

Rembrandt allowed himself to move away from the classical text. Firstly, he portrayed his father as blind. The text does not directly state whether the man was sighted or not, but from the fact that he saw his son from afar, we can conclude that he still did not have problems with vision.

Secondly, Rembrandt’s eldest son is present at the meeting - the tall man on the right. In the classical text he comes when he is already in goes home preparations for the return celebration younger brother.

"Return of the Prodigal Son" (1666−1669)

Thirdly, the meeting itself is described differently. The delighted father runs out to meet his son and falls to his knees in front of him. In Rembrandt we see young man, humbly standing on the ground, and his father, quietly placing his palms on his shoulders. Moreover, one palm looks like a soft, caressing, maternal one, and the second one looks like a strong, holding, paternal one.

The eldest son remains aloof. His hands are tightly clenched - the internal struggle that is happening in him is visible. Angry with his father, the eldest son must make a choice - to accept his younger brother or not.

In addition to the main characters, Rembrandt depicted other people on the canvas. It is impossible to say exactly who they are. It is possible that these are servants, with the help of whom the artist wanted to convey the pre-holiday bustle and bright mood.

Context

"Return of the Prodigal Son" - perhaps last picture Rembrandt. Work on it was preceded by a series of losses that stretched over 25 years: from the death of his first, beloved wife Saskia and all the children she bore to almost complete ruin and the absence of customers.

The rich clothes in which the heroes are depicted were part of the artist’s collection. In the 17th century, Holland was the strongest economy in the world. The ships of its merchants seemed to be everywhere - there was even trade with Japan (Japan did not trade with anyone else at that time). Outlandish goods flocked to Dutch ports. The artist regularly walked there and bought unusual fabrics, jewelry, and weapons. All this was later used in work. Even for self-portraits, Rembrandt dressed up in foreign clothes and tried on new images.

The fate of the artist

Rembrandt was born in Leiden into the family of a wealthy Dutchman who owned a mill. When the boy announced to his father that he intended to become an artist, he supported him - then in Holland it was prestigious and profitable to be an artist. People were ready to go hungry, but did not skimp on paintings.

After studying for three years (which was enough to start his own business, as was then believed) with his uncle - professional artist, — Rembrandt and a friend opened a workshop in Leiden. Although there were orders, they were rather monotonous and did not captivate. Work began to boil after moving to Amsterdam. There he soon met Saskia van Uylenburch, the daughter of the burgomaster of Leeuwarden, and without thinking twice he got married.

. The painting that put the artist at odds with all the customers depicted on the canvas

Saskia was his muse, his inspiration, his torch. He painted her portrait in various robes and images. At the same time, she was from a wealthy family, which also allowed them to live in grand style. The latter circumstance irritated Saskia’s relatives - classical Flemings who could not stand an unbridled life beyond their means. They even sued Rembrandt, accusing him of wastefulness, but the artist presented, as they would say today, a certificate of income and proved that his and his wife’s fees were quite enough for all their whims.

After Saskia's death, Rembrandt fell into depression for some time and even stopped working. Possessing an already unpleasant character, he became completely merciless towards others - he was bilious, stubborn, self-willed and even rude. This is largely why contemporaries tried not to write anything about Rembrandt - bad things are indecent, but apparently there was no good.

Hendrikje Stoffels (1655)

Gradually, Rembrandt turned almost everyone against himself: customers, creditors, and other artists. A kind of conspiracy developed around him - he was almost purposefully driven to bankruptcy, forcing him to sell off his entire collection for next to nothing. Even the house went under the hammer. If it weren’t for the students who formed and helped the master buy simpler housing in the Jewish area, Rembrandt risked remaining on the street.

Today we don’t even know where the artist’s remains are. He was buried in a pauper's cemetery. IN funeral procession Only his daughter Cornelia came from Hendrikje Stoffels, his third wife (not official, but, one might say, civil). After Rembrandt's death, Cornelia got married and went to Indonesia. There, traces of her family are lost. As for information about Rembrandt himself, then last decades it is collected literally bit by bit - during the artist’s lifetime much was lost, not to mention the fact that no one purposefully wrote his biography.