The Father and His Two Sons by CICW Worship

The Father & His Two Sons T he

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Images of the Prodigal Son from the Larry & Mary Gerbens Collection

The Father & His Two Sons T h e

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I have been led to a inner place where I had not been before. It is the place within me where God has chosen to dwell. It is the place where I am held safe in the embrace of an all-loving Father who calls me by name and says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;You are my beloved son, on you my favor rests.â&#x20AC;? It is the place where I can taste the joy and the peace that are not of this world. Henri J. M. Nouwen The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming

Images of the Prodigal Son from the Larry & Mary Gerbens Collection

E Y E KO N S P U B L I S H I N G

The Father & His Two Sons The Art of Forgiveness Images of the Prodigal Son from the Larry & Mary Gerbens Collection

The Father & His Two Sons

www.calvin.edu/go/prodigalson www.eyekons.com/prodigalson

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introduction

Unless otherwise specified, all artwork shown in this book has been donated to and is the property of Calvin College, Grand Rapids MI. The rights to all artwork reproduced

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in this book are held by the artist, their estates, or representatives. Where efforts to contact those who hold the rights were successful, we have acknowledged their in any form without written permission from the Publishers.

Published jointly by:

Eyekons Publishing 10 Jefferson SE Grand Rapids, MI 49503 USA www.eyekons.com Larry J. Gerbens Calvin College 3201 Burton St. SE Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA ljg7@calvin.edu Calvin Institute of Christian Worship 1855 Knollcrest Circle SE Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA www.calvin.edu/worship Center for Excellence in Preaching Calvin Theological Seminary 3233 Burton SE Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA http://cep.calvinseminary.edu

Rev. Scott E. Hoezee Director, Center for Excellence in Preaching Calvin Theological Seminary

The Father & His Two Sons Images of the Prodigal Son from the Larry & Mary Gerbens Collection

Calvin College, Center Art Gallery January 7 - February 7, 2009 www.calvin.edu/centerartgallery

Calvin College would like to thank Larry and Mary Gerbens for their generous donation of this inspiring collection of original art.

the collection 9

Rembrandt van Rijn: The Prodigal Son - Etching

John August Swanson: Prodigal Son - Serigraph

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JJ Tissot: The Prodigal Son in Modern Life - Etching with Drypoint Frontispiece - The Parable of the Prodigal Son No. I - The Departure No. II - In Foreign Climes No. III - The Return No. IV - The Fatted Calf

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Laura James: Gospel Dreams - Oil on Canvas

Alexei Viktorovich Korchagin: Return of the Prodigal Son - Lacquer Box

Bjorn Wiinblad: Prodigal Son - Parables in Glass

Steve Prince: No Child Left Behind - Linoleum Cut

Nicholas Wolterstorff Noah Porter Professor Emeritus of Philosophical Theology, Yale Divinity School Senior Fellow, Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture, University of Virginia

foreword

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available. Library of Congress Control Number: 2008941740 isbn: 978-1-60725-565-9

Larry Gerbens

commentary

the commissions 30-31

Edward Riojas: The Prodigal Son - Oil on Board

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Steve Prince: The Prodigal Trilogy - Linoleum Cut The Prodigal Appetite: Halloo The Prodigal Journey: Exit Wounds The Prodigal Return: Your Past May Be Stained, but Your Future’s Untouched

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Julie Quinn: Embrace - Ink, Oil & Acrylic on Clayboard

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Robert Barnum: Return of The Prodigal Son - Watercolor

Gary Wilson: Prodigal Son - Ceramic

David & Deborah Garner: The Return of The Prodigal Son - Ceramic

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Matt & Amy Vander Pol: The Father’s Celebration - Pencil & Gouache

Joel Tanis: The Prodigal Son - Watercolor

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Jeff Condon: The Prodigal Son: Diptych - Oil Pastel & Acrylic Thoughts Of Home Prayers From Home

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Athanasios Clark: The Byzantine Orthodox Icon of The Prodigal Son - Egg Tempera with Gold Leaf

John August Swanson: Prodigal Son - Serigraph

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Charles Smalligan: Prodigal - Carved Honduras Mahogany

Hans Sebald Beham: The Prodigal Son Reduced to a Swinehead - Engraving on Paper

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Elmer Yazzie: The Prodigal Sons and The Father - Acrylic Jon McDonald: Shelter From The Storm - Oil on Board

Thomas Hart Benton: Prodigal Son - Lithograph

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Photographer: Philip B. Schaafsma Designer: Amy E. McKay

Jonathan Quist: Rembrandt’s Prodigal Son Revisited - Acrylic on Canvas

Vie De Jesus Mafa: The Prodigal Son - Postcard

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Edgar Boevé: The Prodigal Son: Forgiveness - Fabric Collage

Karl Kwekel: Return of the Prodigal Son - Ink Drawing

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authors: Larry J. Gerbens | Commissioned Artists

The Father & His Two Sons is the featured exhibition for the Calvin Symposium on Worship at Calvin College & Calvin Theological Seminary January 29 - 31, 2009

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editors: Larry J. Gerbens | Amy E. McKay | Philip B. Schaafsma

printer: www.HeuleGordon.com

Printed in Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada, 2008 Cover artwork: Edward Riojas - The Prodigal Son

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Carol McCrady: The Prodigal Son - Watercolor on Papyrus

credits & acknowledgements

back cover artwork: Alexei Viktorovich Korchagin - Return of the Prodigal Son

i n t r o duct i o n - by

Larry Gerbens

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him.

My son, the father said, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. LUKE 15:31

LUKE 15:20

For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. LUKE 15:24

But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. LUKE 15:32

The parable of the Prodigal Son is one of the most powerful and evocative stories Jesus told. Its universal themes of greed and regret, arrogance and repentance, sin and redemption, jealousy and acceptance, and most importantly, compassionate forgiveness resonate richly

At the same time, we were becoming acquainted with contemporary artists by frequenting galleries, museums, and even art fairs. The place

with each retelling.

of works of art by artists of faith in worship and everyday life inspired me as a collector. I started to look for and acquire works by contemporary artists on the Prodigal theme. The next step was to commission artists whose work I appreciated to create original art based on the

This parable has inspired the work of artists throughout the centuries. In many times and places, using many methods and media, artists have

parable. Their unique styles and perspectives were of great inspiration to me. I have come to love working with artists and encouraging their

sought to visually retell this story. Despite the differences in their work, the message of the Father’s love remains constant.

artistic gifts in the commissioning process. Their works of art are their visual testimonies. In many instances, the artists have also included

In the mid 1990’s, Don Prys, my brother-in-law, encouraged me to read The Return of The Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming by Henri Nouwen. I was inspired by Nouwen’s personal and introspective style, placing himself in the place of not only the younger son, but also the

interpretations of their work which become their written testimonies. Under the heading of collector’s notes, we tell short stories about how we came to know the artist and our experience throughout the commissioning process.

elder son and the father. About the same time I became aware of the serigraphs of John August Swanson; the colors and themes and the

We feel privileged to share the Parable of the Prodigal with you through this collection of original art and writings. Mary and I believe this

precise nature of the silk screening process intrigued me. Swanson’s serigraph of the Prodigal Son from 1984 was the first piece of art inspired

collection of art, inspired by Jesus’ story of the Prodigal Son, is a creative affirmation of the great gift of God’s unending grace, love and

by the parable that I collected.

forgiveness. We are extremely pleased our collection will find a permanent home on the Calvin College campus and hope it will provide a living

That was the start; I was hooked! From the days of Edgar Boevé’s art history course at Calvin College, I was fascinated by artists and their

testament to “the art of forgiveness” for generations to come.

amazing God-given talents. I now had a theme to build a collection around: forgiveness as illustrated by the parable of the Prodigal Son. I first looked at the old masters like Rembrandt for their interpretation of the parable. I found that they were not only intrigued by the parable but also that much of their work was autobiographical. With my wife Mary’s blessing, we acquired Rembrandt’s etching of the Prodigal Son and Tissot’s five etchings entitled The Prodigal Son in Modern Life.

Please pause for a contemplative moment & let this timeless parable speak to you once again.

the collection f o r e w o r d - by

Scott Hoezee Director, Center for Excellence in Preaching Calvin Theological Seminary

Just what is it exactly? What is it about the Parable of the Prodigal Son that makes it so beloved and so famous? Across the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus told a total of roughly thirty distinct parables. Of those, only the Parables of the Sower, the Mustard Seed, and the Tenants were deemed so central to the ministry of Jesus that all three evangelists made sure to include them in their gospels. But despite its later fame, Jesus’ story about the lost son was left out by Matthew and Mark and so can be found in only Luke’s account of Jesus’ ministry. Yet throughout church history this one story has seared itself onto the consciousness of people all over the world. As the book you are holding in your hands demonstrates, in addition to untold numbers of sermons and books and theological reflections across the millennia, this parable has also led to a veritable cornucopia of artistic expressions through which artists have tried to capture the essence of the story. This parable has inspired the work of some of the most famous artists in history and continues to find expression in the work of contemporary artists working in a variety of media. The Gerbens Collection alone displays a variety of approaches in images that range from the familiar to the surreal, from the straightforward to the nearly ethereal. But a survey of these artistic expressions may lead us a bit closer to an answer to the question of just what it is about this particular parable that grabs our hearts more than any other story Jesus told.

Rembrandt van Rijn: The Prodigal Son - Etching John August Swanson: Prodigal Son - Serigraph JJ Tissot: The Prodigal Son in Modern Life - Etching with Drypoint Frontispiece - The Parable of the Prodigal Son No. I - The Departure No. II - In Foreign Climes No. III - The Return No. IV - The Fatted Calf

Somewhere in nearly every image, the viewer can glimpse that lyric moment when the father defies all expectations, rejects all calculation

Laura James: Gospel Dreams - Oil on Canvas

of reward and punishment, and embraces his returned son with wild abandon – an abandon so redolent of love and joy that it may itself

Alexei Viktorovich Korchagin: Return of the Prodigal Son - Lacquer Box

be the quintessence of grace. Perhaps it is just here where our hearts skip a beat at the prospect of also receiving this same embrace of grace. Despite all that is wrong with the world and despite all the ways we have sadly contributed to life’s brokenness, the caress of our Father’s hands will tell us that we are home, that we’d never even lost our home, and that in the end (in the well-known words from Julian of Norwich) “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.” This splendid collection of artwork will quicken your deeply human desire to be home in the gracious embrace of your Father and at the same time will revive in you the sure and certain Gospel hope that precisely that home and that embrace are already yours through Christ Jesus the Lord – through that Son of God who traveled to the far country of this world to fetch all us wandering sons and daughters back to that place where all is well indeed.

Bjorn Wiinblad: Prodigal Son - Parables in Glass Steve Prince: No Child Left Behind - Linoleum Cut John August Swanson: Prodigal Son - Serigraph Hans Sebald Beham: The Prodigal Son Reduced to a Swinehead - Engraving on Paper Thomas Hart Benton: Prodigal Son - Lithograph Vie De Jesus Mafa: The Prodigal Son - Postcard Karl Kwekel: Return of the Prodigal Son - Ink Drawing John August Swanson: Prodigal Son - B/W Serigraph

It is the place where I so much want to be, but am so fearful of being. It is the place where I will receive all I desire, all that I ever hoped for, all that I will ever need, but it is also the place where I have to let go of all I most want to hold on to. It is the place that confronts me with the fact that truly accepting love, forgiveness, and healing is often much harder than giving it. It is the place beyond earning, deserving, and rewarding. It is the place of surrender and complete trust.

Henri J. M. Nouwen The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming

Rembrandt van Rijn Dutch, 1606 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1669

Return of the Prodigal Son, 1636 Etching | 6.25â&#x20AC;? x 5.5â&#x20AC;?

James Jacques Joseph Tissot French, 1836 – 1902

John August Swanson

The Prodigal Son, 1984

The Prodigal Son in Modern Life: Frontispiece - The Parable of the Prodigal Son, 1881

Serigraph | 23” x 36”

Etching with Drypoint | 14” x 18”