The Raising of Lazarus (after Rembrandt)

What does The Raising of Lazarus (after Rembrandt) show?

For this May 1890 painting, Van Gogh selected three figures from Rembrandt’s etching: Lazarus and his two sisters. Christ’s raised arm, central to the larger source, falls outside the chosen scene. That selection changes where we stand. We are beside the grave, watching the women reach toward a body that had been prepared for death.

Copying also meant inventing in color. In letter 866, Van Gogh described violet, yellow, and white around Lazarus, green and pink in the women’s clothes, and a yellow rising sun. He wanted color to convey what Rembrandt had expressed through light and shade. The Van Gogh Museum notes that fading pigments have since weakened the original contrast between the warm background and the cooler figure in front.

Featured in: Was Van Gogh a Christian? His Faith in 11 Paintings, and the Café Terrace “Last Supper”

What does John 11:25 mean?

John 11:25 is spoken to Martha before Jesus calls Lazarus out of the tomb. Martha has expressed faith in the resurrection at the last day, and Jesus answers by identifying Himself as the resurrection and the life. The promise belongs to a conversation with a grieving sister before the miracle takes place.

That sequence gives the women’s presence particular weight. The Gospel takes time for grief, questions, and trust before the command to come out. Van Gogh’s focus on the sisters lets us linger with the human response to restored life. The sun may suggest awakening, but its identification with Christ remains an interpretation; John’s promise is spoken by Jesus.

The sisters’ reaching hands bring John 11’s promise close to the people whose grief it addresses.

Sources

Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, s0169V1962.

Was Van Gogh a Christian? His Faith in 11 Paintings. Painting history and the limits of the religious interpretation, with primary letters and museum sources.

John 11 — Berean Standard Bible.

Van Gogh to Theo — letter 866. His selection of Lazarus and his sisters, the rising sun, and the translation of Rembrandt’s light and shade into color.