Rembrandt
Harmensz van Rijn was born on July 15, 1606, in Leiden, the Netherlands. His
father was a miller who wanted the boy to follow a learned profession, but
Rembrandt left the University of Leiden to study painting. His early work was
devoted to showing the lines, light and shade, and color of the people he saw
about him. He was influenced by the work of Caravaggio and was fascinated by the
work of many other Italian artists. When Rembrandt became established as a
painter, he began to teach and continued teaching art throughout his life. In
1631, when Rembrandt's work had become well known and his studio in Leiden was
flourishing, he moved to Amsterdam. He became the leading portrait painter in
Holland and received many commissions for portraits as well as for paintings of
religious subjects. He lived the life of a wealthy, respected citizen and met
the beautiful Saskia van Uylenburgh, whom he married in 1634. She was the model
for many of his paintings and drawings. Rembrandt's works from this period are
characterized by strong lighting effects. In addition to portraits, Rembrandt
attained fame for his landscapes, while as an etcher he ranks among the foremost
of all time. When he had no other model, he painted or sketched his own image.
It is estimated that he painted between 50 and 60 self-portraits. In 1636
Rembrandt began to depict quieter, more contemplative scenes with a new warmth
in color. During the next few years three of his four children died in infancy,
and in 1642 his wife died. In the 1630s and 1640s he made many landscape
drawings and etchings. His landscape paintings are imaginative, rich portrayals
of the land around him. Rembrandt was at his most inventive in the work
popularly known as The Night Watch, painted in 1642. Rembrandt had become
accustomed to living comfortably. From the time he could afford to, he bought
many paintings by other artists. By the mid-1650s he was living so far beyond
his means that his house and his goods had to be auctioned to pay some of his
debts. He had fewer commissions in the 1640s and 1650s, but his financial
circumstances were not unbearable. For today's student of art, Rembrandt
remains, as the Dutch painter Jozef Israels said, "the true type of artist,
free, untrammeled by traditions." The number of works attributed to Rembrandt
varies. He produced approximately 600 paintings, 300 etchings, and 1,400
drawings. Some of his works are: St. Paul in Prison (1627); Supper at Emmaus
(1630); The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp (1632); Young Girl at an Open
Half-Door (1645); The Mill (1650); Aristotle Contemplating the Bust of Homer
(1653); The Return of the Prodigal Son (after 1660); The Syndics of the Drapers'
Guild (1662); and many portraits.
Rembrandt
Harmensz van Rijn was born on July 15, 1606, in Leiden, the Netherlands. His
father was a miller who wanted the boy to follow a learned profession, but
Rembrandt left the University of Leiden to study painting. His early work was
devoted to showing the lines, light and shade, and color of the people he saw
about him. He was influenced by the work of Caravaggio and was fascinated by the
work of many other Italian artists. When Rembrandt became established as a
painter, he began to teach and continued teaching art throughout his life. In
1631, when Rembrandt's work had become well known and his studio in Leiden was
flourishing, he moved to Amsterdam. He became the leading portrait painter in
Holland and received many commissions for portraits as well as for paintings of
religious subjects. He lived the life of a wealthy, respected citizen and met
the beautiful Saskia van Uylenburgh, whom he married in 1634. She was the model
for many of his paintings and drawings. Rembrandt's works from this period are
characterized by strong lighting effects. In addition to portraits, Rembrandt
attained fame for his landscapes, while as an etcher he ranks among the foremost
of all time. When he had no other model, he painted or sketched his own image.
It is estimated that he painted between 50 and 60 self-portraits. In 1636
Rembrandt began to depict quieter, more contemplative scenes with a new warmth
in color. During the next few years three of his four children died in infancy,
and in 1642 his wife died. In the 1630s and 1640s he made many landscape
drawings and etchings. His landscape paintings are imaginative, rich portrayals
of the land around him. Rembrandt was at his most inventive in the work
popularly known as The Night Watch, painted in 1642. Rembrandt had become
accustomed to living comfortably. From the time he could afford to, he bought
many paintings by other artists. By the mid-1650s he was living so far beyond
his means that his house and his goods had to be auctioned to pay some of his
debts. He had fewer commissions in the 1640s and 1650s, but his financial
circumstances were not unbearable. For today's student of art, Rembrandt
remains, as the Dutch painter Jozef Israels said, "the true type of artist,
free, untrammeled by traditions." The number of works attributed to Rembrandt
varies. He produced approximately 600 paintings, 300 etchings, and 1,400
drawings. Some of his works are: St. Paul in Prison (1627); Supper at Emmaus
(1630); The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp (1632); Young Girl at an Open
Half-Door (1645); The Mill (1650); Aristotle Contemplating the Bust of Homer
(1653); The Return of the Prodigal Son (after 1660); The Syndics of the Drapers'
Guild (1662); and many portraits.