The Prodigal Son was inspired by the biblical story of a father welcoming his returning son.
Rodin’s sculpture draws on the Parable of the Prodigal Son from the Gospel of Luke. In the biblical account, a younger son leaves home, wastes his inheritance, and returns in repentance; his father receives him with compassion and celebration.
Rodin treated the subject through a highly expressive figure whose body conveys emotional release and physical strain. As in many of his works, the pose matters as much as the literal story. The sculpture shows how religious themes could become studies of human feeling in Rodin’s hands.
The title can be confused with Rodin’s other dramatic biblical subjects, including Eve and The Three Shades. Those works represent different figures and themes, while The Prodigal Son specifically refers to the returning child in the Gospel parable.