Rembrandt

Rembrandt was a Dutch painter and etcher who is regarded as one of the greatest artists of the Dutch Golden Age. He is celebrated for his portraits, his biblical scenes, and his mastery of the light and the shadow.

Early Life and Education

Rembrandt van Rijn was born in Leiden in 1606, the son of a miller. He attended the Latin school and was enrolled at the University of Leiden.

He abandoned his studies to become a painter and was apprenticed to Jacob van Swanenburg and later to Pieter Lastman in Amsterdam. He returned to Leiden and established his own studio.

He was influenced by the work of Caravaggio and by the Utrecht school. He developed the dramatic use of the light and the shadow known as the chiaroscuro.

The Amsterdam Period

Rembrandt moved to Amsterdam in 1631 and became a successful portrait painter. He married Saskia van Uylenburgh, the cousin of his art dealer, in 1634.

He received the commission for the group portrait known as the Night Watch in 1642. The painting was unconventional in its dramatic composition and its use of the light.

He took on many pupils and produced a large number of the etchings and the drawings. The etchings are regarded as among the finest ever made.

His domestic life was touched by tragedy, with the death of his wife and of several of his children. The financial difficulties of his later years led to the sale of his collection.

The Style and the Method

Rembrandt developed a method of the painting that used the thick impasto and the subtle gradations of the light. He applied the paint with the brush and with the palette knife.

He often painted the self-portraits and recorded his own features across the whole of his life. The self-portraits are a remarkable record of the ageing and the introspection.

He explored the biblical and the mythological subjects with a deep sympathy for the human condition. He depicted the ordinary people and the marginalised figures of the society.

His drawings and his etchings reveal his direct observation of the life of the streets and of the countryside. The prints were widely circulated and influenced many later artists.

The Later Years and the Legacy

Rembrandt was declared bankrupt in 1656 and his possessions were sold at auction. He continued to paint and to receive the commissions.

He produced some of his greatest works in his last years, including the Return of the Prodigal Son and the Jewish Bride. He died in 1669 in Amsterdam.

He was buried in the Westerkerk in Amsterdam. His works are displayed in the Rijksmuseum and in the museums of the world.

He is regarded as one of the greatest painters in the history of the art. His work influenced the development of the painting in the Netherlands and beyond.

The Etchings and the Drawings

Rembrandt was one of the greatest of the etchers. He produced about three hundred prints of the religious, the genre, and the portrait subjects.

The Hundred Guilder Print and the Three Crosses are among the most admired of the etchings. The works show his mastery of the drypoint and the burin.

He used the etching to explore the light and the shadow. The prints were collected throughout Europe and influenced the later printmakers.

The Pupils and the Workshop

Rembrandt ran a large workshop with many pupils. The students copied his works and assisted with the commissions.

The pupils included Gerrit Dou, Carel Fabritius, and Nicolaes Maes. The influence of the master is visible in their work.

The attribution of some works has been debated because of the collaboration. The scholars have assigned the paintings to the master or to the pupils through the technical study.

The Honours and the Memory

Rembrandt's works are displayed in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and in the museums of the world. The Night Watch is the most famous of the Dutch paintings.

The Rembrandt House Museum occupies the house where he lived and worked. It contains the collection of his etchings and the reconstructions of his studio.

The Rembrandt Research Project was established to establish the authenticity of his works. The project has revised the catalogue and clarified the attribution of many paintings.

The Influence and the Reputation

Rembrandt influenced the development of the painting in the Netherlands and beyond. His treatment of the light and the shadow was studied by the later artists.

His self-portraits are a unique record of the ageing and the introspection. The series is one of the most remarkable in the history of the art.

His work was admired by the painters of the Romantic period and by the modern artists. The interest in his technique continues to the present day.

The Personal Life

Rembrandt married Saskia van Uylenburgh in 1634 and the marriage was happy. She died in 1642 shortly after the birth of their son Titus.

He later lived with Hendrickje Stoffels, who was his companion and the model. The household was troubled by the financial difficulties.

He was declared bankrupt in 1656 and his possessions were sold. He continued to paint and to receive the commissions until the end of his life.

See also

• Dutch Golden Age
• Baroque
• Chiaroscuro
• The Night Watch