Carel Fabritius, a Dutch painter of the Baroque period and a notable figure from the Dutch Golden Age, created “The Raising of Lazarus” in 1643. This painting is one of his earliest known works and showcases the influence of his mentor, Rembrandt van Rijn. The piece is a religious painting that depicts the biblical story of Jesus resurrecting Lazarus from the dead. It is characterized by a dramatic use of light and shadow, a technique that Fabritius learned from Rembrandt and further developed to give the scene a realistic depth.
“The Raising of Lazarus” is executed with a predominantly black palette, blended with other colors to convey a sense of dusk. The focal point of the painting is the figure of Lazarus, who emanates a sparse light from within his tomb, situated at the lower central part of the canvas. Above him stands Jesus, with an outstretched arm, performing the miracle as onlookers gather around, their faces reflecting the majesty and astonishment of the event.
This work is held in the National Museum in Warsaw, Poland, and measures 210 x 140 cm. It not only reflects Fabritius’s skillful handling of chiaroscuro but also his ability to capture emotion and narrative within his compositions. Unfortunately, Fabritius’s life was cut short at the age of 32 when he perished in the Delft gunpowder explosion in 1654, which also likely resulted in the loss of many of his works. Despite this, his limited body of work, consisting of only 12 paintings, has left a lasting impact on the art world, with “The Raising of Lazarus” standing as a testament to his talent and his early promise as a master of compositional illusionism and narrational ambiguity.
