The Raising of Lazarus (나사로를 살리심)

 

 

 

(요 11:43)

이 말씀을 하시고 큰 소리로 나사로야 나오라 부르시니

 

 

 

 

 

Caravaggio 1573 – 1610

The Raising of Lazarus

oil on canvas (380 × 275 cm) — c. 1609

  Museo Regionale, Messina

Caravaggio biography

 

This work is linked to John 11:43

 

Please scroll down to read more information about this work.

Lazarus was a friend of Jesus and the brother of Martha and Mary. He fell ill, died, and was buried.

Four days later, Jesus meets the weeping sisters. He is vexed with their lamenting and with bystanders discussing if he and his god can raise the dead like they can cure the blind. To proof that true faith can move mountains, Jesus goes to the grave and calls "Come forth!”

Hearing about this new miracle, the chief priests decide it is time to take action against Jesus. He is becoming increasingly popular and a threat to their position.

The pointing figure strongly resembles Jesus in The Calling of Matthew. The scene does not fully correspond with the text in the gospel; Martha had warned Jesus that "by this time he stinketh", but nobody seems to notice that.

 

 

 

 

 

Geertgen tot Sint Jans ca. 1460/65 – ca. 1488/93

The raising of Lazarus

oil and tempera on panel (172 × 97 cm) — 1480's

Musée du Louvre, Paris

Geertgen tot Sint Jans biography

 

This work is linked to John 11:43

 

A panel typical for Geertgen, with somewhat naive characters and much attention for the landscape. The panel has been in the Louvre since 1902.

Jesus is tired of the lamenting of Lazarus' sisters and decides to wake the dead man.

 

 

 

 

Juan de Flandes ca. 1465 – 1519

The Raising of Lazarus

oil on panel (110 × 84 cm)

  Museo del Prado, Madrid

Juan de Flandes biography

 

This work is linked to John 11:43

 

This Lazarus was supposedly a friend of Jesus. He dies of a disease after being seen by Jesus. His sisters Martha and Mary are convinced that Lazarus would still be alive if Jesus had not left. Jesus, deeply touched by their sadness, raises Lazarus from the dead.

When the Jewish high priests hear of this miracle (they may be the men looking on from underneath a wicket door) they conclude that this Jesus has become a threat to their position. They decide that the insurgent must be removed, once and for all.

 

 

 

 

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn 1606 – 1669

The Raising of Lazarus (1630)

oil on panel (93 × 81 cm) — 1630

  County Museum of Art, Los Angeles

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn biography

 

This work is linked to John 11:43

 

Please scroll down to read more information about this work.

 

Many faithful are convinced that on Judgment Day they will rise again. This conviction stems from, among other sources, John 11:25: "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies."

To the faithful, the story of Lazarus is evidence of the possibility of resurrection. Hence perhaps the popularity of the story and its numerous ｅxpressions in art.

Rembrandt situates the scene in a tomb. Lazarus' sisters look on in amazement, as do the other spectators. on the wall are Lazarus' weapons – according to some mediaeval story, Lazarus was a soldier.

Rembrandt makes additional etchings of the scene, in 1632 and 1642.

 

 

 

 

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn 1606 – 1669

The Raising of Lazarus (1632)

etching (36 × 26 cm) — 1632

  Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn biography

 

This work is linked to John 11:43

 

A sublime Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. The light makes sure that all attention is drawn to the risen. The bystanders recoil in fear.

Please compare Rembrandt's etching from 1642 and his painting from 1630.

Etching printed on paper.

 

 

 

 

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn 1606 – 1669

The Raising of Lazarus (1642)

etching (15 × 11 cm) — 1642

  Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn biography

 

This work is linked to John 11:43

 

In this etching Jesus is not portrayed as magnificently as in the baroque painting Rembrandt made in 1630. This scene oozes a more tranquil atmosphere. Please compare to the etching of 1632.

 

 

 

 

Vincent van Gogh 1853 – 1890

The Raising of Lazarus

oil on canvas (50 × 65 cm) — 1890

Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

 

This work is linked to John 11:43

 

This is one of the few paintings by Vincent van Gogh on a biblical theme. It shows Lazarus just after having been risen from the dead.

Lazarus was the brother of Mary and Martha, in whose house Jesus would sometimes stay. The Bible has it that Jesus performed the miracle out of respect for the sisters' conviction that their brother would not have died if Jesus had been around. However, it was also annoyance about their constant lamenting that made him do it.

Van Gogh was staying in a mental hospital in Saint-Rémy when he painted this work. It is based on an etching by Rembrandt that his brother Theo had sent him. Van Gogh left Jesus out of the picture and focused on Lazarus and the two sisters. Some think Lazarus' face is a self-portrait, because of the beard.

 

 

 

 

 

Jan Cornelisz Vermeyen 1500 – 1559

The Raising of Lazarus

oil on panel (150 × 230 cm) — 1547-1549

Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels

Jan Cornelisz Vermeyen biography

 

This work is linked to John 11:43

 

The Micault Triptych, named after Jan Micault who commissioned it. The central panel shows the risen Lazarus, gazing at Jesus. His sisters Martha and Mary remove his shroud.

The outer panels depict the donors. on the left are Jan Micault and his three sons. on the right is his wife Livina Cats van Welle and their four daughters. Micault was the supreme tax collector at the court of Charles V in Brussels.

In the background is a series of landscapes and buildings. The Bay of Tunis; the arena and aquaduct of Carthago; a Tunisian mosque; a temple and an obelisk; the Segovia aquaduct; a primitive basilica; a tomb and a sarcophagus.