Art 102 Fall 2013 Rembrandt Lecture

Rembrandt

• Left a record of his life in self-portraits• Is a Protestant—his paintings show a

Protestant sensibility in that they are never theatrical

• His art provides penetrating examinations of the human soul

Rembrandt Self-Portrait 1629

Rembrandt Self-Portrait 1629

Expressive shadowing around the eyes

Paint is applied thickly, so that Rembrandt is clearly interested in theMateriality of paint

Rembrandt Jan six 1654

Rembrandt Reconciliation of David and Absalom 1642

Rembrandt Homer Dictating To a Clerk 1663

Rembrandt Homer Dictating To a Clerk 1663

Interested in depicting figures who lack sight

Rembrandt Old Woman 1631

Rembrandt Old Woman 1631

Frequently paints images of books And reading

But this book is not legible, showingRembrandt’s iconoclastic tendencies

Gerrit Dou Rembrandt's Mother 1630's

Gerrit Dou Rembrandt's Mother 1630's

Here the text is recognizable as the Gospel of Luke

Rembrandt Portrait of Saskia 1634

Rembrandt Portrait of Saskia 1634

Rembrandt paints two kinds of Portraits, either sitters in contemporaryCostumes, sometimes as historical,Mythological, or religious figures

Noted for the intimacy of his portraits

Rembrandt A Turk 1630-35

Rembrandt A Turk 1630-35

One of a number of paintings of people inExotic costumes

Reflects a widespread interest in Easternculture

Rembrandt Self-Portrait 1650

Rembrandt. Self-Portrait 1638

Represents himself in 16th century dress

Rembrandt Self-Portrait 1659

Rembrandt Self-Portrait 1659

Figure is composed of roughbrushstrokes

Rembrandt Self-Portrait 1658

Rembrandt. Self-portrait in Painter’s Costume 1660-2

Rembrandt. Self-portrait in Painter’s Costume 1660-2

Presented as a working artist,Holding tools of his trade

Circles may represent artistic skill

Rembrandt A Girl with a Broom 1651

Rembrandt A Girl with a Broom 1651

Portraiture combined with genre painting

Rembrandt An Old Man Sleeping 1629

Rembrandt An Old Man Sleeping 1629

Frequently painted old age, because It shows human qualities

Interested in beauty hidden in Ugliness and virtue shown in the body

Fascinated with good and evil qualitiesIn human beings

Shows inner beauty rather than classicalBeauty

Uses chiaroscuro and shadows, but not Rigid distinction between light and darkAs in Caravaggio

Rembrandt The Rape of Proserpina 1633

Refused to copy the Italian Tradition

Exoticism present even in Classical subject matter

Rembrandt and His Wife Saskia 1634

Double portrait, shows sitters inJoyousness that will later disappear

Shows Rembrandt’s interest in Costumes

Saskia is Rembrandt’s favorite model

Rembrandt The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp 1632

Rembrandt The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp 1632

Group portrait commissioned by the Guild of SurgeonsGroup portraits were popular at this timeComposition is activated by using strong diagonals and light

Rembrandt Night Watch 1642

Painting is misnamed due to the darkening of varnish over time—is not intended to be a Night sceneFigures are grouped dynamically, giving a sense that something is about to happen

Rembrandt Return of the Prodigal Son 1665

Rembrandt Return of the Prodigal Son 1665

Religious imagery is generally Frowned upon in Protestantism, butRembrandt makes a few religious Paintings.

Unlike opulent Italian Baroque images,More interested in showing a range ofHuman emotions, revealing Rembrant’sTendency to represent the human soul

Rembrandt Christ with the Sick Around Him c. 1649

One of Rembrandt’s many etchingsKnown as the Hundred-Guilder Print