Rembrandt Van Rijn's Return Of The Prodigal Son

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Recommended: Symbolism of light and darkness in heart of darkness

Rembrandt van Rijn’s piece Return of the Prodigal Son is seen as a depiction of a son pleading for repentance and forgiveness from his father. In the Old Testament the prodigal son is the youngest of two sons who expends all his wealth, comes home impoverished after sinning and is now pleading for mercy and liberation from his father. This painting is also a perfect representation of the homecoming of an outcasted son who has come to terms with his wrong doing and is now desperate for a second chance. Rembrandt is depicting the sense of compassion and forgiveness of a father towards his son that is seeking reconciliation with his family although he led a life of sinning. The Return of the Prodigal Son is a parable from the Old Testament that …show more content…

Doing so is also much more realistic because light is not something that is static, but is always changing depending on how the viewer is looking. This same technique can also be seen in the painting done by Caravaggio named Crucifixion of Saint Peter, which was also was done in the 17th century. Both works incorporate many dark spaces with a single light source that alludes to the sense of a divine presence. An example of this presence is visible through the father and son having a very strong source of light being casted upon them. The variation of lightness and darkness can also be seen as emotional differences in the work. Therefore the mother being shrouded in darkness is a mark of her importance in this story, which is very little so it makes sense that the amount of light casted on her is not the same as that being casted on the son. Another figure that is in darkness is the man to the right of the mother who many interpret as a tax collector of some sorts. This is another example of what is of importance in the painting, and what holds value to what is trying to be conveyed by the

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