The Arts and the Prodigal Son The various art forms that exist borrow from the stories told by our ancestors. Art is inspired by the stories we hear, the books we read and our life experiences. Among inspirational stories, the parable of the prodigal son and the myth of Icarus play an important role in influencing this inspiration. Poems, artwork, music and life in general have drawn inspiration from the two stories. The story of the prodigal son inspired songs and poems about returning home, planning, forgiveness, and spending wealth wisely. The myth of Icarus has inspired poets and songwriters to write about music and poems that deal with topics such as overconfidence, regret, preparation, and the desire for freedom. Since art has a direct influence on life, the inspiration drawn from the parable of the prodigal son and the myth of Icarus has a direct influence on people's way of life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The parable of the prodigal son tells the story of how the last born of a rich man took his share of wealth and traveled to distant lands, had fun and squandered the riches. Then he returns home, a poor man, feeding on pigs and sleeping in the pigsty. His return home is welcomed by his father to the disgust of his brother. The myth of Icarus tells the story of a father and son who build wings for each other. The father, Daedalus, wanted to build wings so that he and his son could fly away to freedom. Over the years they collected the feathers and fixed the wings using wax. Amid the excitement of flight, Icarus flew close to the sun. The heat of the sun melted the wax, Icarus lost the ability to fly and fell to his death. The stories summarized above are sources of inspiration in various art forms such as music, poetry and everyday life situations. Inspirations drawn from the parable of the prodigal son include themes such as forgiveness, planning, coming home, parenting, and spending your wealth wisely. The parable has been used in the Bible to inspire good characters in Christian followers such as obedience to one's parents, the wages of greed, the character of forgiveness, and love. Some musicians choose their stage names and base their music on this parable such as Calvin Curtis. The myth of Icarus covers themes such as the desire for freedom, overconfidence, regret, preparation and risk-taking. This myth has inspired works of art, poetry, music and people's lifestyles over many centuries. A picture is worth a thousand words; a painting is probably worth more. There are paintings in the world that are inspired by both the parable of the prodigal son and the myth of Icarus. The painting 'The Return of the Prodigal Son by Rembrandt Van Rijn, c. 1668' is an example of an artwork inspired by the parable of the prodigal son (Sullivan). Here, the painting is said to inspire family reconciliation, unconditional love, mercy and forgiveness. Other paintings include "The Return of the Prodigal Son" by Pompeo Batoni in 1773, James Tissot, and an engraving by Hans Sebald Benam in 1538. There are many works of art inspired by Icarus. These include "Daedalus and Icarus" by Charles Le Brun, "Daedalus and Icarus, 1779" by Charles Paul London, "Lament for Icarus" by Herbert James Draper, and "Fall of Icarus" by Granger (Henessy). The parable of the prodigal son has inspired musicians such as Calvin Curtis, known by his stage name Prodigal Son. The choice of name is due to his Christian education which calls him to God (Observer). The parable also inspired an oratory by Arthur Sullivan. Choose a text from.