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.