Day 18: Rembrandt

Rembrandt (1606-1669) was a Dutch painter and etcher who made a name for himself painting portraits of his social group, self-portraits, and scenes from the Bible. The number of works he created is still disputed, but it is thought that his oeuvre consists of 300 paintings, about 300 engravings, and over 2,000 drawings.

In his Biblical works, he regularly painted himself as an individual in the scene. It is thought that he did this because he believed the Bible was a description for the things that happened in his own life. He often used chiaroscuro—the use of deep contrasts between light and dark—that Caravaggio was famous for.

I had the opportunity to view a Rembrandt painting up close and personal and at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta a few years ago that was on loan from the Louvre. The painting was Saint Matthew and the Angel (1661) (see below) and it was absolutely magnificent. Being so close to something like that and seeing the strokes in the paint always gives me the chills; it’s just amazing and I am glad I had the chance to see it.

The Anatomy Lesson of Nicolaes Tulp, 1632

Night Watch, 1642

Christ Preaching (The Hundred Guilder Print), 1649, etching

Self-Portrait, 1658

Saint Matthew and the Angel, 1661