In R.E. this week we looked carefully at this 17th century painting by Rembrandt to see how he represented themes from the parable of the prodigal son in his work.
We noticed that the right hand is painted much smaller than the left hand. We also looked at the feet of the son, his clothes, and the position and expressions on the faces of other people in the picture.
Here are a few of the comments Year 6 made about the painting:
“There’s a weaker hand and there’s a stronger hand because the Dad wants to protect him and to care for him.” (HD)
“His father is showing him forgiveness. I think one of his hands is God’s hand.” (CH)
“The symbol of the hands makes me think of family because the hands are big and strong and little and caring.” (PR)
“The smaller hand shows love and forgiveness. The larger one shows the strong side of him and possibly God.” (MC)
“A poor old face brimming with tears. I think the poor man is so happy to see his little son.” (OD)
“I think he is poor because he has a dirty rag and his shoe is broken and he has a bald head because he is showing he is sorry.” (TH)
“The feet show that he is sorry and also show how far he walked for his Dad.” (SW)
“This picture shows the youngest son being sorry for what he has done. I think this picture is sad because the youngest son is finally showing his caring side. Love beats hatred. Light beats darkness.” (JF)
“It shows that love is more powerful than hatred and you can love people if they have done bad things.” (JL)