Return of the Prodigal Son
around 1619 | Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, gen. Il Guercino
In this parable, Jesus speaks of the mercy of God towards repentant sinners. The younger of two sons has squandered his share of his father’s inheritance. Poor and miserable, he finally decides to return to his father, who lovingly receives him and gives him new clothes. Guercino’s early pictures, characteristically, have an asymmetrical composition, overlapping figures in intense motion, uneven lighting that fragments the forms, and very dark coloration.
In this parable, Jesus speaks of the mercy of God towards repentant sinners. The younger of two sons has squandered his share of his father’s inheritance. Poor and miserable, he finally decides to return to his father, who lovingly receives him and gives him new clothes. Guercino’s early pictures, characteristically, have an asymmetrical composition, overlapping figures in intense motion, uneven lighting that fragments the forms, and very dark coloration.
Artist:
Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, gen. Il Guercino (1591 Cento - 1666 Bologna) DNB
Time:
around 1619
Object Name
Painting
Culture
Italian, Emilian
Material/technology:
Canvas
Dimensions:
Overall: 107 cm × 143,5 cm
Framed: 129 cm × 166 cm × 11 cm
Copyright
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Gemäldegalerie
Invs.
Gemäldegalerie, 253
Provenance
1619 for cardinal Jacopo Serra (1570-1623); 1720 documented in the gallery