The Raising of Lazarus (Lievens)

The Raising of Lazarus is an oil-on-canvas painting of 1631 by the Dutch artist Jan Lievens. The painting shows Jesus Christ raising Lazarus of Bethany from the dead. Its dimensions are 107 cm (42 in) × 114.3 cm (45.0 in).^[1]

The Raising of Lazarus
Dutch: De opwekking van Lazarus
The Raising of Lazarus
Artist	Jan Lievens
Year	1631 (1631)
Medium	Oil-on-canvas
Movement	Religious art
Subject	Rising from the dead
Dimensions	107 cm (42 in) × 114.3 cm (45.0 in)
Location	Brighton Museum & Art Gallery

After belonging to Lievens' associate Rembrandt, it was donated to the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery in 1903.

History

 

Lievens' etching of the subject, with the composition reversed.

Lievens painted The Raising of Lazarus in 1631. Over 1630-1632 he had a contest with Rembrandt to produce the best composition depicting "The Raising of Lazarus".^[2] The Lievens' painting is done primarily in shades of gray, and it is a night scene.^[3] Lievens also produced an etching based on the painting.^[2]

In 1871 the painting was included in the Old Masters Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts.^[4][5] In 1884, the painting and an etching were sold for 12 guineas.^[6] In 1903, Henry Willett donated the painting to the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery.^[7]

Description

In the painting, Lievens portrays the fabrics as shimmering with gold and brown hues.^[8] The subject matter of the painting is Lazarus rising from his tomb like a ghost figure.^[9] Jesus Christ stands on a raised surface with his hands clasped. He looks skyward into a beam of light. In the grave beneath Christ, two hands (Lazarus) reach out of the grave. A nun at the grave's edge has a stunned look on her face.^[2] Other people are observing the scene, including a black woman holding a large white shroud.^[10]

Reception

Writing for The New York Times in 2008, art critic Ken Johnson said the painting was "An unusually austere composition, it has a simplicity and openness that enhance its mystery." He also stated that Rembrandt enjoyed the painting so much that he acquired it and hung it in his home.^[3][7] When Rembrandt fell on hard times later in his life, he sold Jan Lievens' version of The Raising of Lazarus.^[11]

Writing for Smithsonian magazine, Matthew Gurewitsch describes the painting as "a gothic scene in a somber palette and with the utmost restraint". He goes on to say that Lievens does not portray Jesus with grand gestures and he portrays Lazarus only as two hands reaching out of a tomb. He uses pale light to permeate the darkness and express "intimations of spirituality".^[12]

An image of the painting appears in the 2022 Harry Styles film My Policeman.^[13] The two main characters visit the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery and admire the painting, with the character of Marion calling the painting "astonishing".^[14]

References

1. "The Raising of Lazarus". ArtUK. Arts Council England. from the original on 26 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
2. Blom, Onno (2020). Young Rembrandt : a biography (First American ed.). New York, NY: W. W. Norton. ISBN 9780393531787. from the original on 3 March 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
3. Johnson, Ken (31 October 2008). "A Forgotten Baroque Painter, Shown Free of Rembrandt's Shadow". New York Times. Archived from the original on 26 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
4. Viardot, Louis (1877). A Brief History of the Painters of All Schools. London: Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington. p. 339. from the original on 3 March 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
5. Heaton, Mary Margaret (1873). A Concise History of Painting. London: Bell & Daldy. p. 448. from the original on 3 March 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
6. The Athenaeum. London: J. Lection. 1884. p. 766. from the original on 3 March 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
7. "The Raising of Lazarus". Vads. University for the Creative Arts. from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
8. Kalmar, Ivan Davidson (2012). Early Orientalism : imagined Islam and the notion of sublime power. London: Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781136578908. from the original on 3 March 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
9. The Oxford dictionary of Christian art and architecture (2 ed.). Oxford: OUP Oxford. 2013. p. 310. ISBN 9780199680276. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
10. "Raising of Lazarus". The British Museum. The British Museum. from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
11. Wilson, William (18 October 1991). "Art Review: Rembrandt in a New Context". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
12. Gurewitsch, Matthew (March 2009). "Jan Lievens: Out of Rembrandt's Shadow". Smithsonian Magazine. from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
13. Bamigboye, Baz (10 September 2022). "Harry Styles Explored "The Sensuality Of Touch" With Co-Stars For Role In 'My Policeman', Says Film's Director Michael Grandage – Toronto Q&A". Deadline. from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
14. Nyswaner, Ron. "My Policeman" (PDF). Amazonstudiosguilds. Berlanti Productions. (PDF) from the original on 28 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.

 

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