Artwork of the Week: July 15, 2024
Rembrandt (1606-1669), “The Raising of Lazarus: Large Plate (XIII/XIII),” c.1632, etching and burin, 14 5/8 x 10 3/16 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art, purchase/gift of Mahonri M. Young Estate, 1959.
On this date in 1606, Rembrandt Harmenz van Rijn was born in the city of Leiden in South Holland. Throughout his life, the artist created several etchings and paintings of this scene from John 11. This rendering of the story evokes the drama of the miraculous moment. Christ rebukes death with a commanding, uplifted hand, forming the apex of a triangle that extends downward to Lazarus and the shocked onlookers on either side.
This story took on new importance for Protestant believers. Not only did it manifest Christ's healing power, but it also illustrated the importance of belief in receiving the grace of Christ, as emphasized in Christ’s repeated admonitions to Lazarus’ sisters to believe.
