This is an oil painting of the biblical story on fatherly forgiveness known as The Prodigal Son. It hangs in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia. The depiction of light through a technique known as “chiaroscuro” in this piece is used to emphasize important aspects of the story beyond words. The father and son are in full light, while the older son is only partially lit, and all other people are in darkness. An interesting fact about this piece is that a man once came to see it in the Hermitage and just sat and stared at it all day while the sun moved and highlighted different aspects of it. He used this reflection to tell the story of the prodigal son in a different light while comparing it with his own life journey. He ultimately wrote a book on this meditation called The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming.
