Who painted Jesus and the Sinner Woman?

Vasily Polenov painted Jesus and the Sinner Woman in 1886.

What Bible passage does Jesus and the Sinner Woman depict?

Jesus and the Sinner Woman depicts the biblical scene from John 8:1-11.

Where is Jesus and the Sinner Woman located?

Jesus and the Sinner Woman is housed at Russian Museum, Inzhenernaya ulitsa, 4, St Petersburg.

Jesus and the Sinner Woman by Vasily Polenov

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The famous canvas of Alexander Ivanov “The Appearance of Christ to the People” made a huge impression on all who had seen it with their own eyes. Everyone who was involved in painting, closely followed the creation of a painting for a long 20 years and dreamed in the future to write an equally masterpiece work filled with deep ethical content. Among them was the young artist Vasily Polenov. He embodied his aspirations to create a spiritual dramatic canvas in the monumental work “Christ and the Sinner.”

The biblical legend about the meeting of Christ with the sinner was taken as the basis of the plot chosen for writing the picture. According to the legend, a woman accused of sinful adultery – was brought to Jesus in the temple. The men who accompanied her turned to him with the question of how to deal with the ungodly – after all, Moses had taught him to stone everyone who had committed this sin. To which Christ replied: “If among you there is a sinless one, then let him throw a stone at her.” And he continued to write, without uttering another word. Gradually, people began to disperse, and not a single stone was thrown at the woman. When there was no one left in the temple except them, Jesus told her that, just like everyone else, he would not judge her and let her go home, ordering her not to sin again.

Details

Artist: Vasily Polenov
Created: 1886 - 1887
Medium: oil on canvas
Dimension: 611cm × 325cm
Passage: John 8:1-11
Housed at: Russian Museum Inzhenernaya ulitsa, 4, St Petersburg

Found in: John, John 8, 19th century, Adulteress

John 8:1-11

1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

2 Now very early in the morning, he came again into the temple, and all the people came to him. He sat down, and taught them.

3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman taken in adultery. Having set her in the middle,

4 they told him, “Teacher, we found this woman in adultery, in the very act.

5 Now in our law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. What then do you say about her?”

6 They said this testing him, that they might have something to accuse him of. But Jesus stooped down, and wrote on the ground with his finger.

7 But when they continued asking him, he looked up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw the first stone at her.”

8 Again he stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground.

9 They, when they heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning from the oldest, even to the last. Jesus was left alone with the woman where she was, in the middle.

10 Jesus, standing up, saw her and said, “Woman, where are your accusers? Did no one condemn you?”

11 She said, “No one, Lord.” Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way. From now on, sin no more.”

John 8:1-11 · World English Bible

The artist

Vasily Polenov

1844 - 1927

St. Petersburg, Russia

Vasily Dmitrievich Polenov (1 June 1844 – 18 July 1927) was a Russian landscape painter associated with the Peredvizhniki movement of realist artists. His contemporaries would call him the “Knight of Beauty” as he embodied both European and Russian traditions of painting. His vision of life was summarized as following: “Art should promote happiness and joy”. As a painter and a humanist, he would truly believe in the civilizing mission of Art, Culture and Education.