The Father's Curse: The Ungrateful Son

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Artist: Jean-Baptiste Greuze (French, 1725–1805)
Medium: Brush and gray wash over graphite, squared in graphite
Size: 50.2 × 64 cm (19 3/4 × 25 3/16 in.)
Culture: French
Museum: J. Paul Getty Museum
Rights: CC0 — no rights reserved

In this dramatic story, a son deserts his family, including an aged father, to join the army. Broad gestures, theatrical poses, and striking facial expressions communicate variations of two primary emotions--agony and distress. The cursing father on the left reaches with outstretched hands to his departing son, while the female members of the family plead desperately. Even the baby clings anxiously to his brother's coattails. The son stretches out his arm as he advances toward the door, where his bemused companion observes the scene.

Although Jean-Baptiste Greuze often made preparatory drawings of individual figures for major narrative works like this one, he seems to have made this large and highly finished drawing after his own painting of this subject in the Musée du Louvre. The squaring lines for transfer indicate that he probably intended to use the drawing for an engraving.

Text: J. Paul Getty Trust, CC BY 4.0.