黑料不打烊

During the 1660s, Sevillian artist Bartolom茅 Esteban Murillo (1617鈥�1682) set out to paint the biblical parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11鈥�32). Many artists tackling this subject focus on the story鈥檚 conclusion鈥攖hat is, the prodigal son鈥檚 return from squandering his inheritance to be welcomed by his father鈥檚 forgiveness rather than his wrath. Murillo鈥檚 depiction, however, draws out the drama into a narrative cycle of six large canvases. Indeed, Murillo鈥檚 paintings represent the first time a Spanish artist painted the story in serial form.

Murillo skillfully embellished the narrative, conveying the story鈥檚 themes of virtue and vice, regret and forgiveness, through the figures鈥� dramatic gestures and facial expressions. Each composition is at once singular and dynamic despite its preservation of narrative continuity. It is therefore all the more remarkable that the series has remained intact, the only by Murillo to be so, despite changing hands many times since its creation during one of the artist鈥檚 more prolific decades. Since 1987, the paintings have been in the collection of the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin.

In 2022, all six canvases will travel to the United States for the first time to be featured at the Meadows Museum, their only venue in this country. Marking the Meadows鈥檚 first collaboration with the National Gallery of Ireland, Picturing the Prodigal Son was inspired by the recent conservation work and the extensive technical analysis of the canvases carried out in Dublin, which has highlighted the beauty of Murillo鈥檚 technique and revealed new insights into his working method at a critical point in his career. The exhibition therefore marks a rare opportunity for American audiences to view an important painting series by Murillo in its entirety, just as it was created to be seen. As the largest repository of paintings by Murillo in the United States, the Meadows Museum is the ideal venue to exclusively present Murillo: Picturing the Prodigal Son.