The Prodigal Son, 3rd plate (L'enfant prodigue) 

Editor: So here we have Alphonse Legros's print, *The Prodigal Son, 3rd plate*, done through etching and engraving. It really evokes this feeling of utter dejection. I'm curious, what catches your eye about this particular interpretation of the Prodigal Son narrative? Curator: What strikes me, darling, is the profound interiority Legros manages to convey through such spare means. Notice the figure's downward gaze, the way his body seems to slump. It's not just poverty, is it? It's a spiritual reckoning. What do you make of his physical posture? Editor: Definitely! He is physically and emotionally depleted. The posture is hunched, defeated almost. He’s holding onto a staff, as though he needs physical support but his grip doesn't seem very strong, right? Curator: Precisely! He is at the utter limit. Think of the audacity it takes to strip away all the fanfare – the returning home, the forgiving father – and simply leave us with this stark moment of realization. He doesn't idealize redemption, you know? Redemption is not glamorous, but awfully lonely. Don't you feel that? Editor: It's incredibly powerful in its simplicity, almost brutal in its honesty. Thanks for this insightful walkthrough of Legros’s etching and helping see this scene from a very different point of view. Curator: My absolute pleasure, it's amazing how an image from such simplicity, has complex roots once you really consider it. I wonder how other artworks are filled with similar deep-rooted images, and how unaware one could be just passing them by.