The Prodigal Son among the Pigs
1660 - 1665.Room 017
Small canvas which represents an episode from the parable of the Prodigal Son. The six paintings that depict the parable, now in the National Gallery in Dublin, constituting one of the artist’s few narrative series intended for private use and the only one to have survived intact together to the present day. They are partly based on prints by Jacques Callot (1592-1635). Murillo makes full use of his narrative skills and his preference for scenes inspired by daily life. The sequential nature of the pictorial account, divided into episodes, obliged Murillo to make full use of all his narrativer resources, both in terms of composition and expression.
The existence of the four smaller canvases allows for an analysis of the painter’s creative process. The loan of Murillo’s series by the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin has made it possible to organise an exhibition, at the Museo del Prado in 2021, which relates them to the paintings in the Prado and obtain a better understanding of the artist’s approach to composition and narrative. In addition, the concept of “series” has been used to group together other works, the majority from the Museum’s own collection. These also recount “stories” divided into different episodes, were created for private use and are the work of other Andalusian artists working in the central decades of the 17th century.
