(Leiden 1606 - Amsterdam 1669)
Rembrandt Harmenszoon Van Rijn, Dutch painter, one of the most prominent painters in European art, and the most important in the history of Holland.
Son of a miller, after attending Latin school, in 1620 he enrolled in the famous university of his hometown; however, after a year there, his evident vocation for painting led his father to send him to the workshop of an obscure painter from Leiden, Jacob van Swanenburgh, where he remained from 1620 to 1623. Subsequently (1624-1625) he spent six months in Amsterdam in the studio of a more prominent painter, Pieter Lastman, who had been in Italy and was familiar with the style of Caravaggio.
It is possible that at the same time Rembrandt frequented the workshop of another Italianist painter, Jacob Pynas. Upon his return to Leiden in 1625, he opened a studio in partnership with Jan Lievens, another disciple of Lastman, and painted his first known dated work, The Stoning of Saint Stephen; in this work, as well as in The Clemency of Titus, he still appears heavily influenced by Lastman's chiaroscuro. In 1630, his father died, and shortly after Rembrandt permanently moved to Amsterdam (1631); he partnered with an art dealer, Hendrick Van Uylenburgh, and began to gain recognition as an excellent portrait painter; his fame notably increased when he painted, in 1632, The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp, a corporate portrait of the city's guild of surgeons.
During the next ten years, he enjoyed a very prosperous economic situation; he married Saskia Van Uylenburgh, the daughter of his partner, thanks to whose dowry he was able to live lavishly and acquire numerous works of ancient and contemporary art. Among his production from this period, Self-Portraits stand out, in which he appears carefree and youthful, and his magnificent works on biblical themes, treated with a certain grandiloquent amplitude, but in which he truly showcases expressive and technical possibilities: The Sacrifice of Isaac, The Feast of Belshazzar, the series of passion scenes painted for the stadtholder Frederick of Orange-Nassau, The Wedding Feast of Samson. On the other hand, the landscapes painted during this time opened new paths for Dutch landscape painters, with their romantic effects of light and shadow.
In 1642, Rembrandt suffered two harsh blows: Saskia died, and his grand corporate portrait The Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq, better known as The Night Watch, received a cold reception from the public, who failed to appreciate the novelty of the dynamic presentation of the characters.
From this moment on, economic setbacks followed in the painter's life, culminating in total bankruptcy in 1656, which forced him to sell all his possessions at public auction. Furthermore, his lawsuits with Geertje Dircks, who came to his service to care for his son Titus after Saskia's death, and later the accusations of living in public concubinage with his maid, Hendrickje Stoffels, darkened his life. Nevertheless, her faithful care and limitless selflessness supported him throughout these difficult years.
In these years of adversity, Rembrandt achieved exceptional mastery; the baroque exuberance largely disappeared from his works, but they became enriched, in turn, with a careful attention to detail, with a vibrant, sparse, and rich color palette that masterfully contributes to giving greater depth to the emotional content of his paintings. Thus, in his biblical-themed oils, he created a new iconography, perfectly suited to the mentality of the triumphant Protestantism in the Netherlands: Christ and the Adulteress, The Adoration of the Shepherds, The Supper at Emmaus, Jesus and the Samaritan Woman.
As for the landscapes painted, and especially the engravings, during this period they are purified of the romantic drama of those made in his youth and acquire impressive veracity. On the other hand, in portraits, Rembrandt shows an incomparable penetration, thanks to which, surpassing the simple exterior aspect, he provides a true sociological study of each character; his portraits present a wide range, from sweet faces of children to a magnificent series of elderly people, with weary expressions.
In the period between 1650 and 1669, he continued to receive important commissions, such as The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Deyman, The Conspiracy of the Batavians. In 1662, he painted the Staal Meesters, or portraits of The Syndics of the Cloth Merchants' Guild.
Rembrandt is not only the greatest genius of Dutch painting but also one of the most exceptional and innovative artists of all time.
The catalog of his work includes more than 600 oils, about 1400 drawings, and nearly 400 engravings. His etchings are particularly notable, in which he explored all the expressive possibilities of this technique.
Rembrandt Harmenszoon Van Rijn, Dutch painter, one of the most prominent painters in European art, and the most important in the history of Holland.
Son of a miller, after attending Latin school, in 1620 he enrolled in the famous university of his hometown; however, after a year there, his evident vocation for painting led his father to send him to the workshop of an obscure painter from Leiden, Jacob van Swanenburgh, where he remained from 1620 to 1623. Subsequently (1624-1625) he spent six months in Amsterdam in the studio of a more prominent painter, Pieter Lastman, who had been in Italy and was familiar with the style of Caravaggio.
It is possible that at the same time Rembrandt frequented the workshop of another Italianist painter, Jacob Pynas. Upon his return to Leiden in 1625, he opened a studio in partnership with Jan Lievens, another disciple of Lastman, and painted his first known dated work, The Stoning of Saint Stephen; in this work, as well as in The Clemency of Titus, he still appears heavily influenced by Lastman's chiaroscuro. In 1630, his father died, and shortly after Rembrandt permanently moved to Amsterdam (1631); he partnered with an art dealer, Hendrick Van Uylenburgh, and began to gain recognition as an excellent portrait painter; his fame notably increased when he painted, in 1632, The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp, a corporate portrait of the city's guild of surgeons.
During the next ten years, he enjoyed a very prosperous economic situation; he married Saskia Van Uylenburgh, the daughter of his partner, thanks to whose dowry he was able to live lavishly and acquire numerous works of ancient and contemporary art. Among his production from this period, Self-Portraits stand out, in which he appears carefree and youthful, and his magnificent works on biblical themes, treated with a certain grandiloquent amplitude, but in which he truly showcases expressive and technical possibilities: The Sacrifice of Isaac, The Feast of Belshazzar, the series of passion scenes painted for the stadtholder Frederick of Orange-Nassau, The Wedding Feast of Samson. On the other hand, the landscapes painted during this time opened new paths for Dutch landscape painters, with their romantic effects of light and shadow.
In 1642, Rembrandt suffered two harsh blows: Saskia died, and his grand corporate portrait The Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq, better known as The Night Watch, received a cold reception from the public, who failed to appreciate the novelty of the dynamic presentation of the characters.
From this moment on, economic setbacks followed in the painter's life, culminating in total bankruptcy in 1656, which forced him to sell all his possessions at public auction. Furthermore, his lawsuits with Geertje Dircks, who came to his service to care for his son Titus after Saskia's death, and later the accusations of living in public concubinage with his maid, Hendrickje Stoffels, darkened his life. Nevertheless, her faithful care and limitless selflessness supported him throughout these difficult years.
In these years of adversity, Rembrandt achieved exceptional mastery; the baroque exuberance largely disappeared from his works, but they became enriched, in turn, with a careful attention to detail, with a vibrant, sparse, and rich color palette that masterfully contributes to giving greater depth to the emotional content of his paintings. Thus, in his biblical-themed oils, he created a new iconography, perfectly suited to the mentality of the triumphant Protestantism in the Netherlands: Christ and the Adulteress, The Adoration of the Shepherds, The Supper at Emmaus, Jesus and the Samaritan Woman.
As for the landscapes painted, and especially the engravings, during this period they are purified of the romantic drama of those made in his youth and acquire impressive veracity. On the other hand, in portraits, Rembrandt shows an incomparable penetration, thanks to which, surpassing the simple exterior aspect, he provides a true sociological study of each character; his portraits present a wide range, from sweet faces of children to a magnificent series of elderly people, with weary expressions.
In the period between 1650 and 1669, he continued to receive important commissions, such as The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Deyman, The Conspiracy of the Batavians. In 1662, he painted the Staal Meesters, or portraits of The Syndics of the Cloth Merchants' Guild.
Rembrandt is not only the greatest genius of Dutch painting but also one of the most exceptional and innovative artists of all time.
The catalog of his work includes more than 600 oils, about 1400 drawings, and nearly 400 engravings. His etchings are particularly notable, in which he explored all the expressive possibilities of this technique.
