|
|
Rembrandt
Harmenszohn van Rijn, finest of the Dutch painters and one
of the greatest artists of all time, was born in Leyden, the son of
a prosperous miller. After attending Latin school young Rembrandt
studied painting, first in Leyden and then in Amsterdam under Peter
Lastman, from whom he learned the technique of chiaroscuro-the dramatic
use of light and shadow-as his teacher had learned it in Italy from
Caravaggio. |
Rembrandt's first studio was in Leyden, but in 1631 he moved to Amsterdam
where he remained permanently. He was soon so busy with commissions
for portraits that he needed many assistants. His work divides fairly
distinctly into three different periods. His early works are sharply
drawn and painted in a varied palette that was to decrease in range
and direct proposition to this growing interest in light and shadow.
In the years between 1640 and 1660, his middle period, he had developed
a darker style with color applied in thick blobs, quick lines or dabs,
and thinner washes that merge into a harmonious glow, bursting from
a dark background to create rich, shimmering, and uneven surface effect.
After 1660, his technique became even freer, possessing a jewel-like
richness of color, and expressing intense emotion. Rembrandt was a
supreme master in every form of painting: poetic landscapes; penetrating
psychological portraits; religious and mythological works that reveal
a personal approach to Christianity; theatrical or exotic subjects;
and warm still lifes. He was a superb draughtsman and throughout his
life produced drawings and copperplate etchings that are magical in
line and feeling. His genius was recognized very early in Amsterdam
and he was soon very wealthy, but as the years advanced and his interest
in religious subjects increased, he lost sales and commissions. This,
combined with the tragedy of his personal life and extravagant spending
and mismanagement of his funds, made the final years of his life very
difficult ones, but Rembrandt would not pander to public taste and
continued to paint as he wished until his death in 1669. His influence
upon all art since his time is inestimable.
|
Featured
Paintings
