Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn


To say that Rembrandt van Rijn was a Dutch painter seems to me like saying that Babe Ruth played a little ball or Columbus liked to sail. For me, Rembrandt isn’t just a Dutch painter; he is the Dutch painter.


Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669)

Born in Leiden in 1606, Rembrandt was apprenticed at an early age to Leiden history painter Jacob van Swanenburgh, followed by a short apprenticeship with Pieter Lastman in Amsterdam, which is where he opened a studio in 1624 with his good friend and colleague, Jan Lievens. By age 21 Rembrandt was accepting students.


Portrait of Rembrandt by Jan Lievens, 1628

As they say, one thing leads to another and by 1629 Rembrandt was discovered by statesman, Constantijn Huygens (father of renowned Dutch mathematician and physicist, Christaan Huygens). Huygens introduced Rembrandt’s remarkable talent for portraiture to Prince Hendrik, who continued to purchase from Rembrandt until 1646.


Portrait of Saskia van Rijn by Rembrandt,  1633

In 1639 Rembrandt and his wife, Saskia moved to Jodenstraat 4, which is now the location of the Rembrandthuis Museum—one of the most popular tourist destinations in Amsterdam.


Het Rembrandthuis

Apparently Rembrandt’s spending habits exceeded his income because in 1656, bankruptcy led to the sale of his house and possessions. Through meticulous inventories (kept by Rembrandt) and countless paintings, drawings, and etchings we know with certainty what domestic life in the 1600's entailed.


Printmaker at the Rembrandthuis Museum

Opened as a museum in 1911, the Rembrandthuis collection of original works produced or once owned by Rembrandt steadily grew. In the 1990’s the adjacent properties were procured and an extension to the museum was added (replete with public entrance, gift shop etc.). In addition to the collection of drawings, etchings, and copper plates by Rembrandt the museum also owns works by his teachers, pupils, and contemporaries hung much as they would have been in his lifetime.


The master's artifacts for copy and study

Like I said, for me Rembrandt is the preeminent artist of the 17th century. In a letter written to statesman and benefactor, Constantijn Huygens, Rembrandt offered the only surviving explanation of his artistic ambition: (to achieve) de meeste en de natuurlijkste beweegelijkheid (the greatest and most natural movement). This expression is open to interpretation, and here’s the one I prefer: (to achieve) the greatest and most natural “motive” (meaning internal emotion and external movement).

When I see his pictures, I know his subjects. I know Rembrandt.



He gave the world approximately 3,000 works of art including 600 paintings of which 55 are self-portraits. Because of these (and unlike most of his contemporaries) we know exactly how he looked from an early age until he died in 1669. It is in these portraits that “beweegelijkheid” is revealed.

No one could paint emotion (motive) like Rembrandt—absolutely no one.



No comments:

Post a Comment