Rembrandt
Rembrandt
HARMENSZOON VAN RIJN (b. July 15, 1606, Leiden, Neth .-- d. Oct. 4, 1669,
Amsterdam), Dutch painter, draftsman, and etcher of the 17th century, a giant
in the history of art. His paintings are characterized by luxuriant brushwork,
rich colour, and a mastery of chiaroscuro. Numerous portraits and
self-portraits exhibit a profound penetration of character. His drawings constitute
a vivid record of contemporary Amsterdam life. The greatest artist of the Dutch
school, he was a master of light and shadow whose paintings, drawings, and
etchings made him a giant in the history of art.
Rembrandt
Harmenszoon 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. It
depicts a group of city guardsmen awaiting the command to fall in line. Each
man is painted with the care that Rembrandt gave to single portraits, yet the
composition is such that the separate figures are second in interest to the
effect of the whole. The canvas is brilliant with color, movement, and light. In
the foreground are two men, one in bright yellow, the other in black. The
shadow of one color tones down the lightness of the other. In the center of the
painting is a little girl dressed in yellow.
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.
Список
літератури
Для підготовки даної роботи
були використані матеріали з сайту http://www.ibiblio.org/louvre/paint/
