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Description: | The author of this painting remains unknown, however on stylistic grounds it appears to be the work of a Flemish artist familiar with the work of the Paolo Veronese. Both the positioning of the protagonists in the foreground of the scene and the grand architectural setting recall the Venetian master's work, however the figures countenances recall Flemish models. The picture's lack of refinement in execution suggests it is the work of a minor artist. The subject of the Return of the Prodigal Son is narrated by St Luke (15:11-32), The scene represented here is the culmination of the story of the Prodigal Son, who having gone away and squandered his inheritance and out of the resulting poverty has been forced to tend the swine of a farmer, he returns to his father to beg forgiveness for his wayward behaviour. As we see in this painting, on his return the father embraces the Prodigal Son dressed in rags; he will next clothe him and slaughters a fattened lamb in his honour. Meanwhile the dismayed brother, here seen behind the column to the left, watches at a distance. The father defends his generous actions saying 'Your brother here was dead and has come back to life, was lost and is found': the scene is an exemplar of repentance and forgiveness that has remained popular in art since the Middle Ages. | Subjects: | religion (Return of the Prodigal Son) | Source: | Vads | Creator: | Artist: Flemish School Æ Attributed to | Identifier: | http://www.vads.ac.uk/large.php?uid=8729... | Go to resource |
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