Rembrandt return of the prodigal son heroes. Rembrandt van Rijn

- The return of the prodigal son. The approximate date of creation is 1666 - 1669. The artist embodied the gigantic idea in oil on canvas measuring 260 × 203 mm. The plot for the picture was the last part of the parable from the Bible, which tells about a lost son who eventually comes to his native threshold and repents before his father. The parent is glad to see a living and unlucky younger offspring, paternally hugs him, and the older brother is angry and does not fit.

It was this imaginary scene that lay on the canvas. The master perfectly conveyed the fatherly feelings and repentance of his son. The young man is depicted kneeling before his parent, pressing his shaved head against his father's body. His clothes are dirty and torn, they bear traces of their former splendor and luxury, but it is clear that the young man fell to the very bottom of human sins and could not rise from there. His feet traveled many paths. This is evidenced by worn-out shoes, they can no longer be called shoes - one shoe simply does not rest on the foot. The face of the son is hidden, the painter depicted him in such a way that the viewer himself guessed what feelings could be displayed on the face of a young man.

The main figure of the work is the father. His figure is slightly inclined towards his son, with his hands he gently squeezes his son's shoulders, his head is slightly tilted to the left. The whole pose of this old man speaks of the suffering and grief that he experienced all those years while his son was absent from the house. With these movements, he seems to forgive his son, his return to his father is a great joy. The father looks at the kneeling boy and smiles. His face is serene and the old man is happy. Interior corner of the house: carved bas-reliefs, columns; The old man's attire: a red cloak and brocade sleeves in its slits speak of the good prosperity of the house, the wealth and dignity of those gathered here.

With the remaining four figures, the experts did not figure it out to the end. Versions vary greatly. One of the assumptions is that a seated young man with a mustache and a smart hat adorned with a feather is the elder brother of the prodigal. Perhaps so, since his facial expression speaks of condemnation and he does not participate in the reconciliation of relatives.

The most distant figure is considered female - a barely visible girl in a headscarf standing on the steps could be a servant in her father's house. A man standing next to a penitent is holding a staff, he is wearing a cloak, he has a long beard, and a turban is on his head. His whole appearance suggests that he can be the same wanderer, but more intelligent and demanding in his own purposes. The gaze of this mute witness is fixed on the young man kneeling before his father. What thoughts darken the wanderer's face, one can only guess.

The entire canvas is painted in Rembrandt's favorite reddish-brown tones. The artist was able to skillfully display the light accents on the faces of the people depicted and muffle the secondary characters. Even without knowing what is written in the biblical parable, having seen this great work, you can read everything on it.

The State Hermitage Museum houses the most famous paintings by the great Dutch artist Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn. Among them is the famous "Return of the Prodigal Son", it is she who will become our storyteller today.

"Oh, the prodigal son has returned!" You must have heard this phrase. So they say about a person who broke away from his family, home, team and returned back. Adults know that the roots of these words, which have become phraseological units, come from the biblical parable of the prodigal son. Let's introduce it to our children. Let them also learn about the content and meaning of the story that Jesus Christ once told people according to the scripture.

Prodigal son

There was a rich old man. He had two sons. The eldest obeyed his father in everything, helped him in business. The younger one was dissatisfied with the quiet family life. He was overcome with boredom. He did not want to work and increase family wealth. He wanted to walk, to have fun in the company of the same merry fellows who only like to eat delicious food and dance. Day by day, irritation accumulated in him, the words and requests of his father aroused protest and even anger in him. And so he decided to leave the house, but before leaving, he demanded from his father to give him part of the family estate. The father agreed.

The idle life into which the youngest son embarked did not last long. He did not notice how he ran out of all the money. His friends, who indulged in fun with him, immediately turned away from him. And besides, hard times have come in the country. Due to crop failure, famine came, no one took workers. A young man without money and housing began to wander from house to house, trying to earn at least something for a living. He was ready to do the most humiliating work - tending pigs, but he got miserable crumbs, the owner fed the animals better than the worker. Emaciated, in torn clothes, in despair, the youngest son regretted that he had left home, offended his father. Then he decided to return to ask his father for a job.

And at this time, prosperity still reigned in the father's house, everyone worked, and there was enough bread for everyone. It was as if nothing had changed since the day one of the sons went to who knows where, but the old man often remembered the younger one. Of course, he was offended by his son's act, but the pain of resentment quickly passed. He was worried about the lack of news, alarming news about the plight of the country. So on this day, leaving the house in the morning, the father remembered his youngest son and once again asked himself the question: “Is he alive, is he healthy?”.

Suddenly he saw that a man was wandering far along the road to his house. The old man caught his breath, his heart beat anxiously in his chest. In the emaciated traveler, he recognized his youngest son. The father's heart was filled with pity. He did not remember the offense, and a picture arose before his eyes, as a little boy, his son looked at him with love and smiled.

"God!" - only the father could say and rushed towards his son. He stretched out his arms to hug, and the son fell on his knees in front of his father and asked for forgiveness. The old man told the servants to bring the best clothes for his son, slaughter the calf and have a feast.

Meanwhile, the eldest son returned. He asked what was the commotion in the house. He was told that his brother had returned, and his father was organizing a celebration in honor of this event. "How so? - the elder exclaimed, turning to his father, - this scoundrel squandered part of his fortune, left the house, and you are glad of his return, and you are also arranging a feast in his honor! I’ve been working all my life for the good of the family, I haven’t said a rude word to you, but you never did anything for me, you didn’t even arrange holidays.

“Son, what was I supposed to do for you, after all, everything that is mine is yours? - answered the father, - How can you not rejoice yourself? After all, your brother first died for us, but now he has come to life, disappeared and was found!”

Rembrandt "The Return of the Prodigal Son"

Thus ends the parable of the prodigal son, and the picture remains before our eyes. On it we see an old father and a son kneeling before him. The father hugs him, he is happy that his son has returned. And the one who once chose the wrong path seems to have felt love in his heart for the first time in his life. Next to them are other people, among them is the eldest son. His brows are furrowed and his arms are crossed, his whole appearance is riddled with arrogance and resentment.

The painting "The Return of the Prodigal Son" was painted in the 17th century by the great Dutch artist Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn. This is one of the last works of the brilliant painter. If you are in St. Petersburg and visit the Hermitage Museum, you will be able to see it for yourself.

So, we know the plot of the picture. But every work of art is also a story about its author. Rembrandt is called the great Dutchman. But what is Holland? It is a mistake to consider it a country. In fact, this is one of the provinces of the Netherlands. If translated into Russian, the Netherlands is the lower lands.

The country, which was previously under the rule of the Spanish king, gained independence in 1581 and until 1795 was called the Republic of the United Provinces of the Netherlands. Rembrandt van Rijn was born in this country on July 15, 1606. He happened to live in the 17th century, which entered the history of the Netherlands under the name "Golden Age". It was a time of economic and cultural prosperity of the state. Today, it is the 17th century that is called the golden age of Dutch painting.

The word Holland comes up again. Where did such confusion come from? The Russian Tsar Peter I, who opened a window to Europe, spent a lot of time in the Republic of the Netherlands, namely in one of its provinces - Holland. He brought this name to Russia. For many years, we have established that there is such a country as Holland, which gave the world great painters, where there are many tulips and windmills. Holland is actually the Netherlands.

Rembrandt grew up in the family of a wealthy miller, who owned several houses and gardens. The father of a large family (Rembrandt was the sixth child) did his best to give his children a good education. By the age of seven, his son could read, write and count well. At the age of 14, Rembrandt entered the University of Leiden. But a year later, the passion for painting overcame his passion for science.

Note that at that time painting in the country was in great demand. In each house they kept a lot of paintings, which hung all the walls. Apparently, therefore, the parents did not interfere with their son's hobby. Rembrandt left the university and went as a student to the artist Jacob Swanenbürch. Rembrandt began to build an independent career as a painter in his native city of Leiden. There he quickly gained fame, his paintings were bought, he himself had students.

In 1631, Rembrandt moved to Amsterdam, where he quickly rose to prominence. Three years later, he married a girl from a noble family - Saskia van Uylenburgh. Life was going well, the artist had many orders, the family lived in abundance. But ten years later, Saskia died. The couple had six children, but only one son, Titus, survived his mother for several years.

Something changed in the artist, he no longer wanted to paint pictures pleasing to the customers. Rembrandt turns to biblical subjects. The heroes of his new paintings appear before the audience in the form of ordinary people. But these works were not accepted by the society. Without orders, Rembrandt went bankrupt. There comes a time of losses - the house and the collection of paintings are sold for debts, the dearest people pass away - the second wife of Hendrickje and son Titus.

The pain of loss, poverty hit the aging Rembrandt. Life in him supported painting, he continued and continued to create. It is believed that the artist created his best paintings during this most difficult period of his life. The painting "The Return of the Prodigal Son" was painted by Rembrandt in the year of his death and became his last brilliant work.

Why did the plot of the parable of the prodigal son form the basis of many works of culture?

Numerous other works of art are based on the biblical parable of the prodigal son. Artists of different times and peoples dedicated their paintings to him: Francesco Guercino, Hieronymus Bosch, Bartolomeo Murillo, Salvator Rosa, Pierre Puvis de Chavannes. Composer Prokofiev wrote a ballet, Britten wrote an opera. The plot of the parable served as the basis for many literary works. So in Pushkin's story "The Stationmaster" the heroes are an impoverished father and a daughter living in abundance. The reader is reminded of the parable by the description of the painting "The Prodigal Son", which hangs on the wall in his father's house.

The painting "The Return of the Prodigal Son" can be seen in many churches, for example, in Moscow, in the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Nikitniki (metro "Kitay-gorod"), in the city of Stary Oskol in the Church of the Intercession of the Virgin, on the southern wall of the Church of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem in Suzdal.

Agree, the painting by Rembrandt and the story told on it resonated in our hearts. The fact is that in each of us there is something from the prodigal son, something from the proud eldest son and something from the all-forgiving father. Remember the youngest son, who wanted to immediately receive a part of his father's fortune. Who among us, having seen some thing, did not feel the desire to get it now and immediately? A forced refusal or an obstacle pissed us off and deprived us of peace. Let's remember how a child demands from his parents to buy something and how he takes offense at their refusal. Here he is - the youngest son who lives in us. It is he who makes you lose your mind, do stupid things, and do bad things.

But there is a wormhole in the soul, which you will not immediately notice. It appears even in a correct person who does not make mistakes, who obeys his elders and everything turns out well for him in life. This is pride, self-praise. The eldest son is good in everything, obeys his father, but why does he require some special treatment for this? Why does he expect gratitude? There is no goodness and love in his heart, but only pride, which is why disappointment awaits such a person and envy gnaws. He thinks: “How is it, I’m so good, but nothing to me, but this bad one somehow gets the best?”

Whether the eldest son will be ashamed of his feelings, the parable does not tell. Probably yes, because the words of the father are the last. Through the image of the father, the story reflects the good that is in every person. This is a particle of goodness, the ability to love all people. Do not forget about it, and let love live in your heart!

In the 17th century, a plot based on the Bible was very popular among the artists of that time. In particular, the masters of the brush then tried to depict on their canvases the plot of the return of the prodigal son. She tells that the unlucky son took part of his father's inheritance, began to walk and behave not in the best way. After he was overcome by drunkenness, revelry, he had to become a swineherd, as a result, the immature soul was unable to withstand all the trials that fell to his lot, the young man had to return to his father. Naturally, the most loving person accepted him, could not hold back his tears.

The main idea of ​​the picture

The canvas is very dark. Sometimes even not the first time you can distinguish the faces of some characters in the picture. The action takes place in front of a rich house, where exactly the son and father met after a long separation. The whole family gathered to see how this long-awaited meeting for the father would go. He is blind, but even with his illness he turned out to be surprisingly perspicacious and his heart is filled with kindness and love. The canvas is dark, even a little angular, but, despite this, one can discern the inner light here, which gradually seeps into the soul and cleanses it.

Heroes of the picture

Interestingly, the two main characters, father and son, are not located in the center of the picture. This way you can see the main idea better. Rembrandt was surprisingly able to shift attention to the main characters not by placing them on the canvas, but thanks to the light that makes it clear who exactly is in the foreground here.

The prodigal son is depicted with a shaved head, and this is no coincidence. The fact is that at that time only convicts walked in this form, so it becomes clear that the young man is at the lowest rung of the social ladder. The collar speaks of the luxury he once lived in.

Each image in the picture speaks of something. Thus, the image of an older brother symbolizes conscience, and the image of a mother symbolizes boundless maternal love. Some say that the painting itself suggests a rebirth of the artist's images. There are 4 more figures, they are hidden in the dark.

Rembrandt made it so that they symbolize:

• Faith;
• Repentance;
• hope;
• the truth;
• Love.

The painting is considered the path to purification, to the improvement of man and to his self-knowledge. This comes from the fact that the author of the canvas was never considered a pious person, which is why the very center of the picture is considered by many to be a reflection of Rembrandt's soul. He is not a participant, he is an observer.

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Rembrandt - Return of the Prodigal Son

Each of us knows the well-known parable about the return of the prodigal son under the roof of his own home and the generous forgiveness of his son by the father.

Rembrandt depicted a biblical story on canvas, experiencing in his life a spiritual rebirth and the search for his "I", the artist turned to the divine principle, it was in this story that he found divine enlightenment and renounced doubts and fears.

The center of the composition is made up of two figures - a father and a son. Sick and unfortunate, in torn clothes, barefoot, the son returns from darkness, vices and sins, holding out his hands to a bright face, remorse for all his bad deeds that he has committed. Kneeling down, buried in his father's clothes, he seems to be looking for support and support, begging for forgiveness for his stupidity, unreason and disrespect.

His face is not visible, but it seems as if hot tears of bitterness and sadness are rolling down his cheeks. The happy father meets the prodigal son with incense, whom he no longer hoped to see. He opens his strong parental embrace, his face is bright and full of calm and peace. He forgives his child and accepts everything, despite all the deeds that he has done.

This scene is dramatic and tragic. The servants and the brother of the returning vagabond lowered their heads in meek silence.

This picture is full of hopes and anxieties, repentance and care, spiritual purity and acceptance. The artist seems to let us know that everyone who sincerely believes with his heart and soul, repents and loves can find light and forgiveness.

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Return of the Prodigal Son, ca. 1666-69

The Return of the Prodigal Son is a famous painting by Rembrandt based on the plot of the New Testament parable of the prodigal son.

Some man had two sons; and the youngest of them said to his father, Father! give me the part of the estate next to me. And the father divided the estate between them. After a few days, the youngest son, having collected everything, went to a far country and there he squandered his property, living dissolutely. When he had lived all, there came a great famine in that country, and he began to be in need; and he went and attached himself to one of the inhabitants of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine; and he was glad to fill his belly with horns that swine ate, but no one gave him. When he came to his senses, he said: how many hirelings from my father have plenty of bread, and 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 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; accept me as one of your hired hands.
He got up and went to his father. And while he was still far away, his father saw him and had compassion; and, running, fell on his neck and kissed him. The son said to him: Father! I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. And the father said to his servants: Bring the best clothes and dress him, and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet; and bring a fattened calf, and kill it; Let's eat and be merry! for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. And they started having fun.
His eldest son was in the field; and returning, when he approached the house, he heard singing and rejoicing; and calling one of the servants, he asked: what is this? He said to him: Your brother has come, and your father killed the fatted calf, because he received him healthy. He got angry and didn't want to come in. His father went out and called him. But he said in response to his father: behold, I have served you for so many years and have never transgressed your orders, but you have never given me even a kid to have fun with my friends; and when this son of yours, who had squandered his possessions with harlots, came, you slaughtered a fattened calf for him. He said to him: My son! you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours, and it was necessary to rejoice and be glad that this brother of yours was dead and is alive again, was lost and was found.

Luke 15:11-32

The plot of the picture

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 took pity; 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.

Description

This is the largest painting by Rembrandt on a religious theme. Unlike his predecessors Durer and Luke of Leiden, who depicted the prodigal son feasting either in dissolute company or with pigs, Rembrandt focused on the essence of the parable - the meeting of father and son and forgiveness.

Several people gathered in 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, the head is written in profil perdu. The father gently touches his son's shoulders, embracing him. The picture is a classic example of a composition 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. The compositional center is located almost at the edge of the picture. The artist balances the composition with the figure of the 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 section, which since ancient times has been used by artists to achieve the greatest expressiveness of their creations.

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

Minor characters

In addition to the father and son, 4 more characters are depicted in the picture. These are dark silhouettes that are hardly distinguishable against a dark background, but who they are remains a mystery. Some called them "brothers and sisters" of the protagonist. 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 broken in any way.

Hermitage employee Irina Linnik believes that Rembrandt's painting has a prototype in the woodcut by Cornelis Antonissen (1541), in which the 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, an engraving in Greek, Hebrew and Latin says "God". The X-ray of the Hermitage canvas showed the initial similarity of the Rembrandt painting with the details of the mentioned engraving. However, a direct analogy cannot be drawn - the painting has only a vague resemblance to one of Antonissen's allegories (the farthest and almost disappearing in the dark), 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.

The two figures in the background, located in the center (apparently, a female, possibly a servant or another personified allegory; and a male) are more difficult to guess. A seated young man with a mustache, if you follow the plot of the parable, may be a second, obedient brother. There is speculation that the second brother is actually the previous "female" figure hugging the column. And, perhaps, this is not just a column - in shape it resembles a pillar of the Jerusalem temple and may well symbolize a pillar of the Law, and the fact that a righteous brother is hiding behind it acquires a symbolic sound.

The attention of researchers is riveted by 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 put on him and the staff in his hands suggest that he, like the prodigal son, is a lonely wanderer. Israeli researcher Galina Lyuban believes that this image is associated with the figure of the Wandering Jew. According to other assumptions, it is he who is the eldest son, which does not coincide with the age characteristics of the New Testament character, although he is also bearded and dressed like a father. However, this rich clothing is also a refutation of the version, because according to the Gospel, having heard about the return of his brother, he ran 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 that are depicted on the other half, but only before the prodigal son leaves the house towards revelry. Thus, the canvas, as it were, combines two chronological plans. The opinion was expressed that these two figures are the image of the publican and the Pharisee from the gospel parable.

In profile, in the form of a bas-relief on the right side of the standing witness, a musician is depicted playing the flute. His figure, perhaps, is reminiscent of music, which in a few moments will fill the father's house with the sounds of joy.

Circumstances of creation

This is not the only work of the artist on this subject, although he created works with a different composition. In 1636 he created an etching, and in 1642 a drawing (Teyler Museum in Haarlem).

In 1635, he created the painting "Self-portrait with Saskia on his knees", reflecting an episode of the legend of the prodigal son squandering his father's inheritance.

The circumstances of writing the canvas are mysterious. It is believed that it was written in the last year of the artist's life. Changes and corrections to the original design of the painting, visible on x-rays, testify to the authenticity of the canvas.

The traditional dating of 1668-1669, however, is considered by some to be controversial. Art historians G. Gerson and I. Linnik suggested that the painting be dated 1661 or 1663.