Focus on The Raising of Lazarus (Lievens) and discuss the Reception.
Writing for The New York Times in 2008, art critic Ken Johnson said the painting was "An unusually austere composition, it has a simplicity and openness that enhance its mystery." He also stated that Rembrandt enjoyed the painting so much that he acquired it and hung it in his home. When Rembrandt fell on hard times later in his life, he sold Jan Lievens' version of The Raising of Lazarus.Writing for Smithsonian magazine, Matthew Gurewitsch describes the painting as "a gothic scene in a somber palette and with the utmost restraint". He goes on to say that Lievens does not portray Jesus with grand gestures and he portrays Lazarus only as two hands reaching out of a tomb. He uses pale light to permeate the darkness and express "intimations of spirituality".An image of the painting appears in the 2022 Michael Grandage film My Policeman, starring Harry Styles, David Dawson, and Emma Corrin. The three main characters, Tom, Patrick, and Marion, who are in a complex love triangle, visit the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery and admire the painting. The character of Marion, who is Tom's girlfriend, calls the painting "astonishing" and Patrick, who is secretly Tom's lover, agrees.
Smithsonian Brighton Museum & Art Gallery Harry Styles The New York Times Jesus Jan Lievens Rembrandt David Dawson My Policeman Ken Johnson Michael Grandage Emma Corrin