Return of the Prodigal Son

Jacques Lipchitz's sculpture, The Return of the Prodigal Son (1931), is a significant work that embodies his evolving artistic style. Initially influenced by Cubism, Lipchitz began to incorporate open space and curvilinear forms into his sculptures, moving towards expressing emotion rather than purely formal concerns.1

In The Return of the Prodigal Son, Lipchitz uses strong, faceted, curvilinear volumes to create a harmonious interplay between the parent and child figures. This piece exemplifies his shift towards themes of love, security, and passionate expression, moving away from the more static forms of his earlier Cubist-inspired works. The sculpture is a visual interpretation of the biblical parable, which teaches a moral lesson about forgiveness and reconciliation.23