Analysis
Composition
History
Info
Raising of Lazarus
Jan Lievens
1631, oil on canvas, 107 cm × 114.3 cm, Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, Brighton and Hove.
Composition
Anticlassical style of composition. The composition is asymmetrical in a triangluar form with the composition being heavier to the right of the canvas. There is a lack of a focal point or clarity in the painting. Tenebrism is also a key feature of this painting with the forms seemingly coming from a black background
History
This painting was created as a competitive piece between Lievens and Rembrandt on who could create the best piece depicting the story of Lazarus. The two artists both apprenticed under Lastman and were dedicated rivals in the art world, but there is no evidence they ever worked together in the same studio.
Visual Analysis
This painting from the Dutch Golden age depicts the story of Lazarus. As the story goes, Lazarus had died from an illness roughly a week before Jesus returned to town. Jesus commanded lazarus's body to "raise" which it had on command. This painting shows Jesus standing in a compassionate pose with his hands folded over his stomach, staring up at the sky and presumably God, with onlookers staring in awe and shock as Lazarus, covered in a white sheet that shines in the painting due to lighting, sits up. His face is obstructed from view, a common feature in many paintings during this era of art. In the water below the figure of Jesus, hands are reaching out towards him from water
lazarus_sanchez
Mimi Sanchez
Created on February 14, 2026
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Transcript
Analysis
Composition
History
Info
Raising of Lazarus
Jan Lievens
1631, oil on canvas, 107 cm × 114.3 cm, Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, Brighton and Hove.
Composition
Anticlassical style of composition. The composition is asymmetrical in a triangluar form with the composition being heavier to the right of the canvas. There is a lack of a focal point or clarity in the painting. Tenebrism is also a key feature of this painting with the forms seemingly coming from a black background
History
This painting was created as a competitive piece between Lievens and Rembrandt on who could create the best piece depicting the story of Lazarus. The two artists both apprenticed under Lastman and were dedicated rivals in the art world, but there is no evidence they ever worked together in the same studio.
Visual Analysis
This painting from the Dutch Golden age depicts the story of Lazarus. As the story goes, Lazarus had died from an illness roughly a week before Jesus returned to town. Jesus commanded lazarus's body to "raise" which it had on command. This painting shows Jesus standing in a compassionate pose with his hands folded over his stomach, staring up at the sky and presumably God, with onlookers staring in awe and shock as Lazarus, covered in a white sheet that shines in the painting due to lighting, sits up. His face is obstructed from view, a common feature in many paintings during this era of art. In the water below the figure of Jesus, hands are reaching out towards him from water