Rembrandt painted his picture “The Return of the Prodigal Son” shortly before his death.
Some connoisseurs of painting call this canvas the culmination of his work.
But few people know that the famous biblical plot was a reflection of real tragic events in the life of the master.
Perhaps the biblical plot of the picture is known to everyone. The father had two sons. The eldest helped his father in housekeeping, and the youngest demanded his part of the inheritance and went to indulge in all the vices of a wild life. When the money ran out, the unlucky son was at the bottom. He had to graze pigs for a bowl of porridge, to wander, to beg. In the end, he decided to return to his father's house and fall on his knees in front of the parent. Father forgives son.
The return of the prodigal son - Rembrandt
This moment in the parable was chosen by the most famous painters. Rembrandt also depicted the scene of the arrival of the prodigal son home. However, his work differs from the canvases of other painters.
The return of the prodigal son. - painter Jan Steen, 1668-1670
If we compare the paintings of Rembrandt and other artists, their striking contrast becomes visible. For example, with Jan Steen, who was at one time much more popular than Rembrandt, the plot in the picture is the same, but made in a more optimistic way. Servants blow a horn, lead to stab a calf, carry good clothes.
The return of the prodigal son - painter Murillo, 1667-1670
The return of the prodigal son. - painter Rembrandt - detail
Rembrandt does not have all the extra 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 shoes, corns on the feet - all this so deeply conveys the emotionality of the scene. And also love, the forgiving love of his father ...
The son of the artist, Titus, at his desk. - 1655.
Portrait of Titus reading - Rembrandt
Titus in the image of a monk. - Rembrandt, 1660.
“The Return of the Prodigal Son,” the master wrote almost immediately after the terrible tragedy that befell him. His only son Titus did not.
He was the fruit of the love of Rembrandt and his adored wife Saskia.
Saskia Van Eilenburg Rembrandt
Titus is the only surviving child in the family, the other three died in infancy but he died before his father - Rembrandt died a year later
Maddened by grief, his father persistently attended to thoughts of suicide. Only work on the painting “The Return of the Prodigal Son” helped not to commit it. Rembrandt as if projected himself to the place of the father in a biblical story, who had the good fortune to hug his child.
