Prodigal Son

Rembrandt Harmenszoon  and Saksia in the Scene of the Prodigal Son in the Tavern (1635) is a painting of the great artist that is classified as part of his early maturity stage. Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn often times used his neighbors and his family as models for his paintings. Through the many self-portraits of Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn he had strived to paint himself without a heightened sense of vanity.

This was this practice that would later lend to the realistic nature of his paintings. This painting is Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn's interpretation of the Prodigal Son. It has to be noted that Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn used his wife and himself as the models for the figures in the painting. The tones are varied and somber.

The play of light is not heightened as the artist desired to highlight the scene rather than a particular figure. The sense of emotion is different in this painting. Unlike the painting of Bathsheba at her Bath where the figure is in quiet contemplation and the turmoil of the character of Bathsheba is clearly evoked through the interplay of light and dark. This painting is more celebratory, the clothes of the male are perfect and this could point to the early part of the story where the son had left his home before running into ruin.

The use of color is intelligent as every color seems to portray a certain quality in the painting. The use of a red robe for the male figure seems to denote passion and impulse while a gray for the female seems to denote impartiality.

This could represent a common theme in a tavern, where bar maids are subject to the drunken acts of patrons. The male figure raising a tall glass with a beaming smile, while the bar maid's mouth is tight lipped seem to point to this.