Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669)

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Enter me, 35, seeing Rembrandt Van Rijn’s final self-portrait in the Mauritshuis in The Hague, July 2014. That museum has Vermeer’s The Girl With The Pearl Earing too, but the 1669 self-portrait is the true gem of the collection. I was struck by lightning. I had seen paintings by Rembrandt before, but never one of his late works. The way he painted his hair, topped with a kind of turban or ribbon, is simply stunning. In a way, what I saw was the birth of impressionist and even show more expressionist painting, already in the 17th century. It took me half an hour before I could continue to the next painting, and before leaving the museum, I returned to it again. A profound delight.

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The authors do a great job of putting Rembrandt firmly in his historical context. To our eyes Rembrandt might seem old hat – he’s such a part of our visual collective subconscious – but he’s not. Even today he remains fresh and relevant, and back in the 17th century he simply was in a league of his own. The texts feature quite a lot of quotations of 17th and 18th century art historians, and they succeed in proving the exceptional, revolutionary nature of Rembrandt. And that’s not just because of his technique – his brush strokes, his command of light, etc. – but also his command of composition and emotion, and the specific, singular way he chose to portray subjects and topics that were common at the time. He was a true genius, on multiple accounts. The book also zooms in a bit on Rembrandt eventful, tragic life. It’s not a biography however, the focus is on his art throughout.

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More of a historical fiction piece about van Loon's ancestor, who was the occasional doctor to and more often friend of Rembrandt. I enjoyed the historical background of the times and was entertained by the adventures of Dr. van Loon. I was a bit surprised to discover that the good doctor was trying to experiment with cannabis to relieve pain in his patients. That's pretty daring, both for the 1600s and 1930, when my edition was printed.

This is one of the first Van Loon's I bought. It is a very large book, 570 pages of fairly close type with some prints of Rembrandt's prints scattered through it. I really enjoyed it. Not only did Van Loon make Rembrandt an interesting person, the style of writing used was good to read. It is one of my favourites.

Rembrandt: The Christmas Story edited by David Wavre. Library section 7F: Religious Arts. I found this book at ELC’s rummage sale! I am glad I could get it for the library.
Rembrandt van Rijn, b. 1606, was one of the Netherlands’ most famous painters. This little book presents more than forty oil paintings, pen and ink sketches, and etchings depicting with great sweetness and power the story of the birth of Christ. Some scenes such as the “Adoration of the Shepherds” may be show more familiar, others such as “The Flight into Egypt” are less so.
The editor’s nine-page introduction discusses the importance of Rembrandt, how his home, his wife, and his own infant children may have been models for these works. Indeed, Jesus being rocked in his wicker cradle by mother Mary looks contemporary of Rembrandt’s time and the cozy intimacy suggest the joy Rembrandt found in his own family life. A scene in John the Baptist’s home includes a large, curtained, four poster bed, another give-away that the painter is a northern European.
Rembrandt used lighting to make his works dramatic, long before spotlights were invented! Often the light source – a lantern, candle or torch – is hidden by a foreground figure, so the figure is in darkness and the area behind the figure is lit, perhaps with large cast shadows on the far wall to heighten the drama. In each painting of Jesus, Rembrandt focuses light on the Christ child, the center of attention. But in at least a few scenes, the light emanates from Jesus himself, symbolizing his holy status.
Family cats and dogs inhabit these scenes, creating a feeling of domesticity. The building architecture is Gothic – northern European, certainly not middle eastern. Costumes are what Rembrandt and his Netherlanders imagined middle eastern Jewish costumes might have looked like – vaguely “Oriental,” flowing garments, cloaks, heavy veils worn more for warmth than modesty, and tall bulbous hats.
Beyond the introduction, the each work by Rembrandt is accompanied by Bible verses upon which the works are based. Also included are the sizes of the works and where the originals are located. When sharing this book’s pictures with a child, first ask the child to guess what part of the Nativity story the scene shows. Who are the people in it? Then read the bible verses to find the answer.
For an older child, talk about how the picture was made – an oil painting on canvas, a pen and ink sketch, or an etching (a scene scratched into a metal plate, then inked, wiped off, and printed. The ink that has remained in the tiny lines on the metal plate gets printed on the paper.) Discuss the size of the work with the child and where the work is located. It is important for children to learn that actual art works are often much, much larger than the reproduction in the book may be, and that if the child wishes, he can one day travel to see the actual art work. Some of these works are in Detroit, the National Gallery in Washington, DC, London, Paris, and Amsterdam. In this way you open the work of art to your child. Ask your child to draw her own picture of one part of the Nativity story, and hang it up for display. show less