The main difference between the work of Rembrandt van Rijn -its timeless nature. Historically, at the time of the heyday of Dutch painting of the XXVII century, it does not allow us to discover an obvious link to it, either on the themes touched on in the paintings or on the artistic means with which it reveals these topics. This property of Rembrandt painting matures with the course of the master's life, reaching a maximum at the end of it.
He was primarily interested in depthshuman nature, the motives of people's actions. Therefore, it is understandable why Rembrandt wrote on biblical subjects much more often than his contemporaries. The parable of the Prodigal Son is one of the most popular subjects of world painting. "The Return of the Prodigal Son" is a picture of a separate self-worth, but this is also the continuation of the conversation. His variants of the interpretation of the parable were Hieronymus Bosch, Albrecht Durer, Murillo and many other masters of different countries and generations.
Rembrandt himself refers to this storyrepeatedly - his etchings with the name "Prodigal Son" are known. Reasonings on this subject are revealed by the researchers of Rembrandt's work, even in such a famous master's work as "Self-Portrait with Saskia on his knees" (1635). This is also a kind of "Return of the Prodigal Son" - a picture that is interpreted by them as an illustration of that part of the parable, which tells of the mischief of a son who thoughtlessly wasting his father's inheritance. From this point of view, the joy of being, which radiates master's canvases written in the happiest periods of life, is supplemented by a slightly different shade.
The peculiarity of Rembrandt's creativity is explained byhis purely picturesque techniques, using the palette, working with light and shadow. If most of the "small Dutch" and consonant artists are characterized by the desire for an accurate and tangible representation of things, the expression of their material essence, then Rembrandt's objects come out of nothingness or "from the darkness of the past," being closely related to the course of time and history. Writing "Return of the Prodigal Son," Rembrandt confirmed his loyalty to the special atmosphere inherent only to him, which highlights the main thing on the canvas, without depriving any important detail of the light.
And this is not just a virtuoso game of "masterchiaroscuro, "as they call the genius Dutch historians and connoisseurs of his work. This is an extra indication of the primacy for him of the inner content of human actions, the search for their motivating reasons. Where does the essence of man come from, who created and how does that change that determines being? The fact that he poses such questions and offers his answers, not related to the time in which he lived, neither internal nor external attributes, Rembrandt shows that he is modern and relevant always.
His picturesque manner is such a meanscreate a narrative, tell stories that none of the artists at all times possessed. How does Rembrandt tell the ancient parable of returning home?
... We are present during the pause that has comeAfter the son has approached to a threshold of the father's house. This pause is not soundless - it rings ... After all, too much is lost - his head is shaven, like a convict, his shoes are worn out, he has no strength left, no means to achieve anything, not even desires and ambitions. A terrible ending to the unfulfilled hopes. A father comes to meet him and just puts his hands on his son's shoulders, and he falls, almost dissolving in the folds of his clothes. "Return of the Prodigal Son" - a picture of the completion of all earthly paths, where in the end there will be a golden beam, similar to that which illuminated the meeting, was illuminated by one of the most outstanding Rembrandt images - the head of the father. This ray is charity, which all lost ones should hope for.
Like other masterpieces, "Return of the Prodigalson "Rembrandt gives many riddles and secrets. Perhaps they simply came about because of a long time off, and at the time of writing the picture, it was clear to her viewers, for example, who the other characters of the canvas are, why they look at the visitor in such different ways with such a different feeling. Why are the brushes of father's hands, lying on the shoulders of his son, so strikingly different from each other?
Since the old times, much has been lost, andmost of the secrets just lost their meaning. Indeed, is it important, after all, in what kindred relations are people present on the canvas? Are their social status or material condition important? Now they are all just witnesses of the exciting event - a meeting after a long separation of two native people, witnesses to the act of forgiveness, on which the Christian world view is largely based.
Rembrandt van Rijn ... "The Return of the Prodigal Son" is a picture that almost literally repeats itself in the finale of Andrei Tarkovsky's famous film "Solaris", released in 1972.
