The Raising of the Youth of Nain by Paolo Veronese, Luke 7:11-17, Bible.Gallery
Artwork Description
Luke tells that Jesus arrived in a town called Nain. The apostles and a large number of people accompanied him. When Jesus arrived at the town gate, he saw that a dead man was carried out and he heard that this was the only son of a widow. Jesus felt sorry for the woman. So Jesus touched the bier and said, ‘Young man, I tell you: stand up.’ The young man indeed stood up and began to talk. So Jesus gave the son back to his mother. Since a large crowd had accompanied the funeral bier, all wondered in awe at what had happened and said among them that a great prophet had risen. Jesus’ glory spread over Judaea.
Paolo Veronese made a painting of this scene. We see a picture in warm subdued colours but we do not know really whether these were entirely Veronese’s original colours, as the hues may have smoothed with time. Even then the hues are harmonious. The colours are mostly orange and red hues that are very close, as well as various shades of blue. The only other colour is a bright brown in the architecture and in the cloak of Saint Peter. Two features are most striking in this picture: the unusual oblique composition, and the nice view of the widow of Nain as a wealthy Venetian lady.