Exploring Details of Rembrandt's Painting!
Rembrandt's The Return of The Prodigal Son has interesting stories in its details.
We are going to look at the characters and the details they convey to us.
Father
Look at the father's face. How does he feel? If you know the story, the father was blatantly insulted by his Lost Son before the son left the house. The son made an unthinkable request that could only put his father in a position of being ridiculed by the neighborhood. However, the father gave the son what was asked.
The son comes back after squandering everything he received from the father. The father welcomes the return of the prodigal son.
This is the Father's reaction- "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him."
Unthinkable love. You are seeing the father's face filled with calm, peaceful, relief, and compassion. You must understand the story of The Lost Son, so please take a look at the whole story or the video on the bottom that explains the story amazingly.
the Lost Son
He was not even expecting to be considered as a son anymore. His best excuse to join his family again and get his stable life back was to go back to the house as a servant. Not a son.
But, his sonship is gladly recovered by the compassionate Father. This is #grace.
This is a subjective opinion, but I see a smile of relief. "I am home," he whispers. I think.
Look at the hands of the father that is holding the Son's shoulders. Do you see the left hand, very slender and "feminine" hand? Do you see the right hand, in contrast, more "masculine" and bigger than the left hand?
Keep that in thought, and take a look at the son's feet below.
The Feet
“…the caressing feminine hand of the father parallels the bare, wounded foot of the son, while the strong masculine hand parallels the foot dressed in a sandal. Is it too much to think that the one hand protects the vulnerable side of the son, while the other hand reinforces the son’s strength and desire to go and get on with his life.” (p. 99) (cited below)
*the "Good" Son
This is another son of the Father who stayed home and did all the works for the father as his brother went off. This is the "good son" who took take of the father's estate and behaved well. He does not look happy that his lost brother came back though.
Rigidly closed mouth. No sign of any gladness.
Spoiler Alert: he's actually a bad guy.
Please watch the video on the bottom. It's that good.
Servants
Not much to be said in terms of what the servants would like to convey to us, but their presence really completes the witnesses of this great moment and makes the painting fully alive.
Lighting
I love this detail how Rembrandt shows the source of the lighting in his painting.
Interesting thought arises. This scene most likely happened in the field. Because the father sees his lost son coming from "afar", so the father runs to him. However, what we are seeing in Rembrandt's painting is a cozy interior. I thought to myself, "Yes, it does not matter that if this moment happened inside or outside in the original story."
Rembrandt focused on the essence that the Lost son is at home now.
Tim Keller, founder of the Redeemer's Church in NYC perfectly explains the parable. I am sure that this video will greatly help you with understanding the story, thus the painting. Please do watch the video! It's really interesting :)
Also, here is the full story of The Parable of the Lost Son in the book of Luke.
**I hope you had a pleasant experience, exploring the painting in details. ** I would greatly appreciate it if the post is rewarded for all the works creating a great visual experience. Have a good day.
1. Nouwen, Henry. J.M. (1992) The Return of The Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming. New York, NY: Crown Publishing Group
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