The Departure of the Prodigal Son

Art Historical Context

James Tissot's *The Departure of the Proal Son* (1862–63) captures a pivotal moment from the biblical parable in Luke 15, where the wayward son bids farewell to his family before squandering his inheritance. Created early in Tissot's career, intimate drawing reflects the French artist's emerging talent for narrative scenes blending everyday life with moral storytelling. Tissot, who later gained fame for his detailed Victorian society portraits and religious watercolors, here demonstrates his affinity for dramatic human interactions amid urban settings, hinted at by the tags of buildings, men, and women. Executed in point of brush and brown ink with brush and brown wash over graphite on the recto (with graphite sketches on the verso), the work showcases 19th-century drafting techniques ideal for studies. This monochromatic medium allowed Tissot to explore subtle tonal contrasts and fluid lines, emphasizing emotional tension and architectural backdrops in a compact 6 x 12 5/16-inch sheet. Such preparatory drawings were common among Realist-influenced artists, bridging sketches toward larger compositions. Acquired through the Rogers Fund in 1970, this piece from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department offers a window into Tissot's thoughtful approach to biblical themes, inviting viewers to ponder themes of youthful folly and familial bonds in a remarkably vivid, small-scale format.

About the Artist

James Tissot · 1836–1902

James Tissot (1836–1902) was a French painter and printmaker who spent much of his career in England and became renowned for his meticulously detailed depictions of fashionable Victorian society. Born Jacques Joseph Tissot in Nantes, he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris under Louis Lamothe and Hippolyte Flandrin and exhibited at the Salon from 1859. Tissot's early career in Paris produ...