Artwork
The Prodigal Son, 1st plate (L'enfant prodigue)
The Prodigal Son, 1st plate (L'enfant prodigue) is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Alphonse Legros. It dates from 1874 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Alphonse Legros produced the print titled *The Prodigal Son, 1st plate* in 1874. Executed with a combination of etching and drypoint, the work presents a solitary figure kneeling beside a trough that holds a pig, set against a simple landscape of fence and rolling hills. The composition captures a moment of quiet introspection within the biblical narrative.
Subject & Meaning
The scene draws on the New Testament parable of the prodigal son, focusing on the son’s period of destitution. The kneeling figure, barefoot and clad only in a loincloth, rests his right hand on his forehead and clutches a cane, suggesting remorse or contemplation. The pig in the trough alludes to the animal’s traditional association with waste and excess, reinforcing the theme of moral decline.
Technique & Style
Legros employed both intaglio processes: traditional acid‑etched lines for broader forms and drypoint for richer, velvety edges. This dual approach allows a contrast between the stark, linear rendering of the landscape and the softer, more expressive modeling of the figure’s flesh and the pig’s body, characteristic of Legros’s precise yet emotive hand.
History & Provenance
Born in France, Legros settled in London in 1863 and later naturalised as a British citizen. By the 1870s he was an influential teacher at the Royal Academy, advocating a revival of etching in Britain. *The Prodigal Son, 1st plate* emerged during this period of renewed interest in printmaking, reflecting his pedagogical emphasis on the medium.
Context
The print belongs to a broader 19th‑century revival of biblical subjects in graphic arts, where artists used the intimacy of prints to explore moral narratives. Legros’s choice of a humble, almost austere setting aligns with contemporary Victorian concerns about poverty, repentance, and social responsibility.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Alphonse Legros (French pronunciation: ; 8 May 1837 – 8 December 1911) was a French, later British, painter, etcher, sculptor, and medallist.
