ROMARE BEARDEN (American, 1914-1988) Return of the Prodigal Son, 1967 Mixed media and collage on canvas, 50 1/4 x 60" Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Armand J. Castellani © Romare Bearden Foundation / Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

Romare Bearden was born in North Carolina and moved with his family to New York in the mid-1920s, where they lived in Harlem. His father worked for the Department of Health, and his mother was an editor for an African-American freedom paper called The Chicago Defender. His family’s involvement with community affairs gave him a unique insight into life and issues in Harlem. The 1920s were also the height of the Harlem Renaissance, the renewal of African-American literary and musical culture that began after World War I. His family knew many of the writers and jazz musicians at the heart of the Renaissance, which exposed the future artist to many other aspects of African-American life and culture.

For Bearden, one of the most important aspects of life and culture is ritual—the numerous customs, ceremonies, and beliefs that are an integral part of daily life. Return of the Prodigal Son is part of a series called The Prevalence of Ritual, created by Bearden in the 1960s and 1970s. Most of the images in the series are universal in theme, and a number refer specifically to stories in the Bible.  Return of the Prodigal Son comes from the New Testament Gospel of St. Luke. It tells the story of two brothers, each of whom receives a share of his father’s estate. One stays home and works hard; the other squanders his share in a hedonistic lifestyle and eventually returns home penniless and penitent. Rather than chastising the irresponsible youth, the father embraces him, gives him fancy clothing, and prepares a great feast. The other son was angry until his father explained: "Your brother was dead and has come back to life, was lost and is found." Bearden updates the story: "The Prodigal Son has left North Carolina, gotten into bad company and has come back to the ‘old folks,’ his home, where, as Robert Frost says, when no one else wants you, theygot to take you in." In either version, it is a hopeful story of repentance and forgiveness, and a lesson about the possibility of turning lives around and beginning anew. It also underscores the importance of family in the stability of young people’s lives, an issue especially significant today.

The collage contains references to both the traditional and modern versions of the story. The returning son, on the left, is greeted by two women, reflecting perhaps a common type of contemporary nuclear family. The candle between the two women might refer to the proverbial candle in the window, left burning for returning friends and family members. On the right are utensils and a salt shaker, and on the left a bottle of wine, perhaps reflecting the feast that would be served to celebrate the youth’s homecoming.

Bearden’s work is strongly influenced by the musical forms of jazz and the blues. The rhythms and tones of jazz are reflected in the way he arranges shapes and patterns and applies color to his collages. The fact that jazz is often made up of improvisation combined with a general underlying plan parallels Bearden’s working technique. Part of the message contained in The Prodigal Son was inspired by the blues, from which he adopted values such as hope and the existence of dignity in all subjects, even the most downtrodden. He said, "Even though you go through these terrible experiences, you come out feeling good. That’s what the blues say, and that’s what I believe—life will prevail."

— Mariann Smith

SUGGESTIONS FOR HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES AND DISCUSSION

• Read or tell your students the story of the Prodigal Son (from Luke, 15:11- 32), one of the most frequently represented parables in the history of art. "A man divided his estate between his two sons. The younger went off, squandered his portion in a riotous living and was finally, in poverty, reduced to tending a farmer's pigs. He returned home penitently and was joyfully received by his father, who dressed him in fine clothes and killed a fatted calf to make a feast. The father mollified the angry elder son (who had remained home, helping with his father's estate and made wise use of his share of the money), saying, 'Your brother here was dead and has come back to life, was lost and is found.'" (From James Hall, Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art,1974). Ask the students to look carefully at Bearden's collage, and find details that relate to the original story. Then ask them to discuss it in terms of contemporary society.
• Have students bring in family photos that are extra or unwanted. They can then make a collage of their family. Make sure that they include a setting (this can be drawn, collaged with additional images
• There are several important messages in the story of the Prodigal Son. Discuss with students ideas of forgiveness, and turning over a new leaf with the support of family and friends. Design a class plan for resolving disputes between students in creative, positive ways.
• The Return of the Prodigal Sonis from a series called "The Prevalence of Ritual." Choose a story you are studying in class. Decide, as a class, which scenes are the most helpful in illustrating the narrative. Divide the class into groups, and assign one scene to each. Using any medium (collage, drawing, painting, etc.), each group should illustrate its scene, give it a title (including a series name), and display them together in the classroom. You could also make them into a book, with pages written by the students retelling the story in between the illustrations.