Return of the Prodigal Son similar paintings. Painting "Return of the Prodigal Son"

Return prodigal son, 1669. Oil on canvas, 262x206. State Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg

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.

The Return of the Prodigal Son” is a feeling of boundless joy of family and fatherly protection. This is probably why we can call the main character the father, and not the prodigal son, who became the reason for the manifestation of generosity. This is grief over lost youth, regret that lost days cannot be returned.
This subject attracted many of Rembrandt's famous predecessors: Durer, Bosch, Luke of Leiden, Rubens.

PARABLE
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 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, bring him the best clothes and dress him. 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 broad, blessing gesture of his hands, which he places almost symmetrically on his son’s shoulders.
The father is an old man full of dignity, 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 inexplicable, just like the golden rags of the young man. 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 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.

Currently, the picture has become very dark, and therefore, in normal light, only the foreground is visible in it, a 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 is a Figure that 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 seated 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 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.

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 in the form of a bas-relief with right side From the standing witness, a musician is depicted playing the flute. His figure perhaps recalls the music that in a few moments will fill his father’s house with sounds of joy.
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 fixes original plan paintings visible on x-rays indicate the authenticity of the canvas.

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 the age of 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 meaning of the 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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While working on the painting " The night Watch"Rembrandt's beloved wife, Saskia, died. The relatives of the deceased began to pursue the artist with litigation over the inheritance, trying to snatch part of the dowry bequeathed to Rembrandt by Saskia.

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

But it was not only relatives who persecuted Rembrandt. He was always besieged by creditors, who attacked the great artist like a greedy pack. And in general, Rembrandt was never surrounded by honors, was never the center of general attention, did not sit in the front row, not a single poet during Rembrandt’s lifetime sang his praises. At official celebrations, on days of great celebrations, they forgot about him. And he did not love and avoided those who neglected him. His usual and beloved company consisted of shopkeepers, townspeople, peasants, artisans - the simplest people. He loved to visit the port taverns, where sailors, ragpickers, traveling actors, petty thieves and their girlfriends had fun. He happily sat there for hours, watching the bustle and sometimes sketching interesting faces, which he later transferred to his canvases.

Now in the Amsterdam house where he lived for more than 20 years the great Rembrandt, the Museum is located. And once this house was sold for debts. Rembrandt himself then sat at the court hearing with such an indifferent look, as if this matter did not concern him at all. He did not hear the judge's speeches or the shouts of the creditors. His thoughts hovered so far from the meeting that he either could not answer one or another question from the judge, or his answers had no connection with the court case.

It was the turn of van der Piet, the artist’s lawyer, to speak. Slowly and expressively he outlined the state of affairs. Intelligently, carefully and diligently defending Rembrandt's behavior, he appealed to the human feelings of the creditors and to the sense of justice of the judge. He threw out convincing, caustic and passionate words: “Let those who, in the name of insignificant sums of money that do not threaten them with the slightest loss or misfortune, want to make Rembrandt a beggar / I, van der Piet, speak here not only as a lawyer, burn with shame debtor, I speak on behalf of all humanity, which wants to ward off the undeserved blows of fate from one of his great sons... equal to Shakespeare / Think, everyone who is here: we will be covered with grave mounds, we will disappear from the memory of descendants, and the name of Rembrandt will remain for centuries thunder over the world, and his shining works will be the pride of the whole earth!

Yes, Rembrandt's paintings are undoubtedly the pinnacle Dutch painting, and in the work of the artist himself, one of these peaks was the painting “The Return of the Prodigal Son.” He wrote it in Last year life, when I was already old, poor, terminally ill and frail, living in hunger and cold. And yet, in defiance of fate, he wrote, wrote and wrote in the country and city that he forever glorified.

The theme for the painting was the famous gospel parable, which tells how, after long wanderings in an uncomfortable world, the prodigal son returned with unfulfilled hopes to the father he had abandoned. This story attracted many artists long before Rembrandt. The Renaissance masters saw the reconciliation of a father with a disobedient son as a beautiful and entertaining spectacle. Yes, in the picture Venetian artist Bonifacio, the action takes place in front of a rich estate, in front of a crowded, dressed-up crowd. Dutch artists were more attracted to the trials that the rebellious son was subjected to in a foreign land (for example, the scene when the descended dissolute son barnyard among the pigs, he was ready to atone for his sins with pious prayer).

Rembrandt was haunted by the theme of the “prodigal son” for many years of his life. He turned to this subject back in 1636, when he was working on an etching under the same name. In his paintings on biblical and gospel stories the artist rarely depicted scenes of passion or miracles; he was more attracted to stories about the everyday life of people, especially scenes from patriarchal family life. The story of the prodigal son was first depicted by Rembrandt in an engraving in which he transferred the biblical story to a Dutch setting and depicted the son as a bony, half-naked creature. The drawing also dates back to this time, in which the father energetically squeezes the shaggy head of his repentant son with his hand: even in the moment of reconciliation, he wants to show his paternal power.

Rembrandt returned to this theme many times, and over the years he presented it differently each time. In early versions, the son vigorously expresses his repentance and submission. In a series of later drawings, the spiritual impulses of father and son are not so naked, the element of edification disappears. Subsequently, Rembrandt began to be fascinated by the almost accidental meeting of an old father and son, in which the forces human love and forgiveness is only just ready to open up. Sometimes it was a lonely old man sitting in a spacious room, his unlucky son kneeling before him. Sometimes it is an old man going out into the street, where an unexpected meeting awaits him; or his son comes up to him and squeezes him tightly in his arms.

After 30 years, the artist creates a less detailed, narrative composition, in which the emphasis is shifted to the old father. The plot of the painting “The Return of the Prodigal Son” is not directly related to the previous sketches, but it was in it that Rembrandt invested all his creative experience and perhaps the most important life experience.

Rembrandt thoughtfully read the biblical story, but he was not a simple illustrator who strives to accurately reproduce the text. He got used to the parable as if he himself had witnessed what had happened, and this gave him the right to complete what was unsaid.

Several people gathered on a small area in front of the house. Tattered, beggarly, in rags belted with rope, with a convict’s shaved head, the prodigal son stands on his knees and hides his face on the old man’s chest. Overwhelmed by shame and remorse, he, perhaps for the first time in many years, felt the warmth of a human embrace. And the father, bending over to the “tramp,” presses him to himself with careful tenderness. His senile, unsteady hands lie tenderly on his son’s back. This minute in its own way psychological state equal to eternity, before both of them pass the years they spent without each other and brought so much mental anguish. It seems that suffering has already broken them so much that the joy of meeting did not bring relief.

The meeting of father and son takes place as if at the junction of two spaces: in the distance one can discern a porch and behind it a cozy father’s house. Implicit and invisibly present in front of the picture is the boundless space of roads traveled by the son, an alien world that turned out to be hostile to him.

The figures of father and son form a closed group; under the influence of the feelings that gripped them, they seemed to merge into one. Towering over his kneeling son, the father touches him with soft hand movements. His face, hands, posture - everything speaks of peace and happiness found after for long years painful waiting. The father's forehead seems to radiate light, and this is the brightest place in the picture.

Nothing breaks the concentrated silence. Those present watch the meeting between father and son with intense attention. Standing out among them is a man in a red cloak standing on the right, whose figure seems to connect the main characters with the people around them.

The person standing behind is also closely watching what is happening. His gaze is wide open eyes suggests that he, too, was imbued with the importance and seriousness of the moment. WITH sincere sympathy A woman standing at a distance looks at the father and son. It's hard to say who these people are. Perhaps Rembrandt did not strive for individual characterization of those present, since they serve only as an addition to the main group.

Rembrandt searched for a long time and persistently for the figure of the prodigal son; the prodigal son is already visible in the prototypes of numerous drawings and sketches. In the picture he is almost the only one in classical painting a hero who has completely turned his back on the audience. The young man traveled a lot, experienced and experienced a lot: his head is covered with scabs, his shoes are worn out. One of them fell off his foot, and the viewer sees his hardened heel. He barely reached the threshold of his father's house and fell to his knees in exhaustion. A rough shoe falling off his foot speaks eloquently about how long the path had been traveled, what humiliations he had been subjected to. The viewer does not have the opportunity to see his face, but following the prodigal son, he also seems to enter the picture and falls to his knees.

A mysterious light pours from the depths of the gloomy canvas. It gently envelops the figure of a blind father who stepped out of the darkness towards his son. Those around him seemed frozen in anticipation of words of forgiveness, but there were no words... The old father, indeed, gives the impression of being blind, although the parable says nothing about his blindness. But she apparently seemed to Rembrandt to be something more capable of vividly depicting the excitement of a touched heart.

A feeling of boundless joy and love captured the father entirely; in fact, he does not even hug his son, since he no longer has the strength to do this and his hands are not capable of hugging his son to himself. He simply feels him, thereby forgiving and protecting him.

Art critic M. Alpatov considers the father to be the main character of the painting, and the prodigal son is only an excuse for the father to show his generosity. He even believes that the painting could be called “The Father Forgiving the Prodigal Son.”

Anyone who appreciates mainly external beauty will probably find a lot of ugly and angular things in this painting by Rembrandt. But the mysterious effect of light, intensified by the far-reaching darkness, captivates any viewer, and the harmony of wonderful shades of colors affects his soul like the melodies of ancient church hymns.

“One Hundred Great Paintings” by N. A. Ionin, Veche Publishing House, 2002

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Rembrandt Harmens van Rijn (1606—1669) — Dutch artist, painter and engraver, Great master chiaroscuro, the largest representative of the golden age of Dutch painting. He managed to embody in his works the entire spectrum of human experiences with such emotional richness that fine art had never known before.

Rembrandt created his masterpiece in 1668-1669, and the painting was based on a classic biblical story. However, religious themes were quite typical for artists of that time, and the appeal to the Gospel was traditional.

Composition

In the foreground of the picture are characters from the Gospel story dedicated to the Prodigal Son. It should be noted that the picture does not just show storyline, and also many personal experiences of the author himself. The artist was already in adulthood, and at that time he was tormented by many doubts about the impossibility of changing anything in the past, as well as about the years that were irretrievably lost.

Some experts believe that the canvas depicts the embodiment of the basic earthly passions, as well as the divine principle. There is also an opinion that in fact the characters in the picture are hypostases of the artist himself, who is at different stages spiritual growth and rebirth.

The emotions of the characters in the picture are noteworthy. Despite the younger son's sins, his old father accepts the prodigal son, and the old man's face shows absolute forgiveness. Moreover, we can safely say that the old man takes pity on his son, forgiving all his mistakes and mistakes.

Technique, execution, techniques

The canvas contains red and yellow tones, and the background is quite dark. The kneeling pose of the son in front of his old father expresses the character’s repentance, and as an additional symbol of forgiveness and repentance one can name the fact that his figure is drawn mainly in lighter shades of paint.

The artist devoted a lot of time and attention to the smallest details, which emphasize the wealth and success of all family members who are present in the picture. At the same time bare feet and a poor outfit young man, kneeling, symbolize the brokenness in him, and the fact that he took the path of mistakes and came to an undesirable outcome for himself.

The strokes are choppy, laid down carelessly and there are no traces of an attempt to lick the surface of the painting to hide this carelessness of paint strokes. Transitions from shadow to light emphasize emotionality.

The painting was painted just a few months before the death of the author, and this could not but affect the history of the masterpiece. This is the last thought that the artist managed to express in his work. By the way, in the same years two other famous paintings famous artists, and both were also dedicated to the theme of the return of the prodigal son: works by artists Murillo and Jan Steen.

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 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 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. 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. 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.”

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.” “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.”

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 vague 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 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 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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IN State Museum The Hermitage houses the most famous paintings of the great Dutch artist Rembrandt Harmens van Rijn. Among them is the famous “Return of the Prodigal Son”, which will become our storyteller today.

“Oh, the prodigal son has returned!” - you've probably heard this phrase. This is what they say about a man who has become separated from his family, home, the 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 our children to it. Let them also learn about the content and meaning of the story that, according to scripture, Jesus Christ once told people.

Prodigal son

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

The idle life into which the youngest son embarked did not last long. He didn’t even notice how all his money ran out. His friends, who were enjoying themselves with him, immediately turned away from him. And besides, the country has come Hard times. Due to a bad harvest, famine came and no one hired workers. A young man without money or housing began to wander from house to house, trying to earn at least something for food. He was ready to do the most humiliating job - herding pigs, but he received pitiful crumbs; the owner fed the animals better than the worker. Emaciated, in tattered clothes, and in despair, the youngest son regretted leaving home and offending his father. Then he decided to return to ask his father for a job.

Meanwhile, prosperity still reigned in my 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 God knows where, but the old man often remembered the younger one. Of course, he was offended by his son’s action, but the pain from the offense quickly passed. He was worried about the lack of news, the alarming news about the plight in the country. So on this day, leaving the house in the morning, the father remembered his youngest son and once again asked the question: “Is he alive and well?”

Suddenly he saw a man wandering far along the road towards his house. The old man caught his breath, his heart began to beat anxiously in his chest. In the exhausted traveler he recognized his youngest son. The father's soul was filled with pity. He did not remember the insult, but a picture appeared before his eyes of how, as a little boy, his son looked at him lovingly and smiled.

"God!" - That was all the father could say and rushed towards his son. He extended his arms to hug him, and the son fell to his knees in front of his father and asked for forgiveness. The old man ordered the servants to bring the best clothes for his son, slaughter the calf and arrange 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 throwing a holiday in honor of this event. "How so? - the eldest exclaimed, turning to his father, - this scoundrel squandered part of his fortune, abandoned the house, and you are glad to see him back, and you are also throwing a feast in his honor! I’ve been working all my life for the good of my family, I never said a rude word to you, but you never did anything for me, you didn’t even organize holidays.”

“Son, what should I have done for you, since everything that’s mine is yours? – answered the father, “How come you aren’t happy yourself?” After all, your brother first died for us, and now he has come to life, disappeared and was found!”

Rembrandt "Return of the Prodigal Son"

This is how the parable of the prodigal son ends, and the picture remains before our eyes. On it we see an old father and son kneeling in front of him. The father hugs him, he is happy that his son is back. And he, who once chose the wrong road, seems to have felt love in his heart for the first time in his life. There are other people next to them, among them is the eldest son. His eyebrows are furrowed and his arms are crossed, his whole appearance is permeated with arrogance and resentment.

The painting “The Return of the Prodigal Son” was painted in the 17th century by the great Dutch artist Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn. This is one of latest works genius 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, it is one of the provinces of the Netherlands. If translated into Russian, the Netherlands are 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 went down in the history of the Netherlands under the name “Golden Age”. It was a time of economic and cultural prosperity for the state. Nowadays, the 17th century is called the golden age of Dutch painting.

The word Holland appears again. Where did all this 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. Over the years, it has become firmly established in our country that there is a country called Holland, which gave the world great painters, where there are many tulips and windmills. In fact, Holland is 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) made every effort 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 Leiden University. But a year later, his passion for painting overpowered his passion for science.

Note that at this time painting was in great demand in the country. Each house had many paintings that hung on all the walls. Apparently, this is why the parents did not interfere with their son’s hobby. Rembrandt dropped out of university and became an apprentice to the artist Jacob Swanenbuerch. Rembrandt began to build an independent career as a painter in hometown Leiden. There he quickly gained fame, his paintings were bought, and he himself had students.

In 1631, Rembrandt moved to Amsterdam, where he quickly gained fame. Three years later, he married a girl from a noble family - Saskia van Uylenburg. 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, outlived his mother by several years.

Something changed in the artist; he no longer wanted to paint pictures pleasing to customers. Rembrandt turns to biblical stories. The heroes of his new paintings appear before the audience in the form ordinary people. But society did not accept these works. Having no orders, Rembrandt went bankrupt. The time of loss is coming - the house and collection of paintings are sold for debts, the most Dear people- Hendrickje's second wife and son Titus.

The pain of loss and poverty fell upon the aging Rembrandt. Life in him was supported by painting, he continued and continued to create. It is believed that their best paintings the artist created precisely 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 work of genius.

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

Many 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 “ 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 station "Kitai-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, Rembrandt’s painting and the story told from it found a response 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 part of his father's fortune. Which of us, having seen something, did not feel the desire to get it now and immediately? A forced refusal or obstacle drove us crazy and deprived us of peace. Let us remember how a child demands that his parents buy something and how he is offended by 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 that you don’t immediately notice. It appears even in a right person who does not make mistakes, who obeys his elders and everything works out well in his life. This is pride, self-praise. The eldest son is good in everything, obeys his father, but why does he demand 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 such a person is disappointed and gnawed by envy. He thinks: “How is it that I’m so good, but I have nothing, and for some reason this bad guy gets the best?”

Whether the eldest son will become ashamed of his feelings, the parable does not tell. Probably yes, because the father’s words are heard 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. Don't forget about this, and let love live in your heart!