Jessica Crabtree

July 15, 1606: Birth of Rembrandt van Rijn

As far as I can remember, Rembrandt was the first great artist I got to know. I recall being a toddler with a big book in my lap, gazing at Rembrandt’s deep, dark, thickly textured scenes and the garishly-dressed figures with penetrating stares, and thinking, “This must be the guy who invented painting.”

Belshazzar’s Feast, 1638

I wasn’t quite right on that score, but few artists – and few great masters – ever achieved the status that Rembrandt did. His talent was and still is phenomenal and his style completely unmistakable. The strikingly dramatic chiaroscuro that first caught my eye, and the oil paints slapped on in heavy layers make his work completely original. Despite this fact, his output is widely varied – ranging from the Renaissance style of his earlier pieces, to the photorealism of the Dutch and Flemish schools, to the strongly Impressionist flavor of his later works.

The interesting thing is, much of his phenomenal ability may have come from a form of disability – similar to Einstein’s abnormal brain anatomy. He is believed to have suffered from a syndrome known as “stereo blindness” which causes a person to see three-dimensional objects in two dimensions. Researchers believe that rather than being a handicap, this may have facilitated his ability to transfer images to paper or canvas – a process which normally inhibits the average person when first learning to draw.

Right: Abraham and Isaac, 1634

While Rembrandt’s historical paintings are often full of what we see with modern eyes as anachronistic clothing and settings, he took great pains to research the details of his subjects for the sake of authenticity. He frequently prevailed upon members of the local Jewish community to pose for his Biblical scenes and apprise him of Jewish customs and traditions. His portfolio is filled with characters in foreign, even outlandish dress that betray his fascination with the antique and exotic.

Left:
Self-Portrait, 1652

Something should definitely be said about his curious obsession with self-portraits. In every stage of his life he portrayed himself in paintings, etchings and drawings. He used himself as a model for many of his illustrations, and even adopted the technique of making “cameo appearances” in larger scene paintings. Some might assume that this was a reflection of a larger-than-life personality or an oversized ego. But I lean more towards the idea of “artistic transparency” – that in being such a careful observer of human nature and all its attitudes and emotions, he didn’t spare even himself from the revealing scrutiny of the brush.

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Rembrandt’s career spanned the transition between the realist school of the Dutch Golden Age and the Flemish Baroque. In a time when the extravagance of the Baroque was in full swing, and the favored style of art was increasingly becoming an escapist fantasy, Rembrandt’s work shows a growing hunger for depth that set him apart from many of his contemporaries, such as Rubens.

Philosopher in Meditation, 1632

Artist in his Studio, 1629

In spite of the growing lavishness of the period’s art, Rembrandt became progressively introspective as his career drew to a close. His later pieces show a strongly avant-garde stylistic approach, while still clinging to the elegant, minimalist realism of the old Dutch school. So in way he was both out of date and ahead of his time.

This may have cost him considerably in terms of sponsorship and clientele – but it has endeared him to the ages. As an artist he was more a man of thought than a courtier, putting him in a class with other great craftsmen such as Durer who are known for their keen perception of human nature and their sympathetic and open-minded outlook.

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Rembrandt van Rijn: Life, Paintings, Etchings, Drawings & Self-Portraits