Rembrandt
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn entered the world on the 15th of July 1606 in Leiden, a city within the Dutch Republic. His father worked as a miller while his mother came from a family of bakers. The couple raised nine children together, and Rembrandt was the youngest among them. He attended a Latin school during his boyhood years before enrolling at the University of Leiden in 1620. Artistic passion pulled him away from academic studies almost immediately after enrollment. Jacob van Swanenburg became his first master for three years of training. A brief but significant apprenticeship followed with history painter Pieter Lastman in Amsterdam lasting only six months. Simon van Leeuwen later claimed that Joris van Schooten also taught the young artist. This early period established the foundation for a career that would span decades.
The year 1631 marked a pivotal move when Rembrandt relocated to Amsterdam to practice professional portraiture. Hendrick van Uylenburgh housed the new arrival initially. In 1634 he married Saskia van Uylenburgh, a cousin of his host who came from a respected legal family. Their union took place in the local church of St. Annaparochie without any relatives present. They rented fashionable lodgings overlooking the Amstel river by 1635. Financial strain emerged quickly as they purchased a house on Breestraat costing 13,000 guilders through mortgage financing. Three children died within weeks of their births despite the couple's affluence. Only Titus survived into adulthood born in 1641. Saskia succumbed to tuberculosis in 1642 leaving behind drawings of her deathbed which remain among his most moving works. Geertje Dircx served as caretaker and became his lover before being committed to a women's house of correction at Gouda in August 1650. Hendrickje Stoffels entered his life around early 1649 as a maid who later bore him a daughter named Cornelia.
January 1653 saw the formal sale of Rembrandt's property while half the remaining mortgage still required payment. Creditors pressed for installments but financial strain forced him to borrow money from friends including Jan Six. November 1655 brought tragedy when plague overshadowed the drafting of wills. His fourteen-year-old son Titus designated his father as sole heir effectively sidelining his mother's family. December 1655 witnessed an orchestrated sale of paintings that failed to meet expectations. The tumultuous period prompted Rembrandt to seek a high court arrangement known as cessio bonorum. July 1656 marked his declaration of insolvency where he willingly surrendered assets after transferring the house to his son. Authorities and creditors showed leniency granting ample time to settle debts. Another auction held in November 1657 sold paintings etching plates and drawings by famous artists like Raphael Mantegna and Giorgione. Prices realized proved disappointing despite retaining tools for income generation. February 1658 concluded with foreclosure on his house forcing relocation to Rozengracht. Hendrickje and Titus established a dummy corporation allowing Rembrandt board and lodging to continue artistic pursuits.
A letter to Huygens revealed Rembrandt sought greatest natural movement translating to emotion or motive through art. Early works displayed smooth techniques characterized by fine illusionistic form. Late periods embraced rough treatment featuring richly variegated paint surfaces suggesting tactile quality. Colors became richer while brush strokes grew more pronounced during the 1650s. Light appeared jagged and harsh with shine almost nonexistent. Contemporary accounts sometimes criticized coarseness of brushwork though artist dissuaded visitors from close inspection. Biblical subjects shifted focus from dramatic group scenes to intimate portrait-like figures such as James the Apostle painted in 1661. Fifteen self-portraits created between 1652 and 1669 offered deeply reflective images. The Jewish Bride completed around 1666 exemplified grown-up love combining richness tenderness and trust. Etchings evolved alongside painting skills particularly from late 1640s onward. Large prints survived in multiple states up to eleven often radically changed. Surface tone technique left thin ink film instead wiping plates completely clean. Drypoint exploitation produced fuzzy burr effects especially visible in landscapes.
Between 1640 and 1642 Rembrandt painted The Militia Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq known today as The Night Watch. Commissioned for Kloveniersdoelen hall it departed from conventional stately formal genre pieces. Complex layering of figures depicted action firing a musket affecting some characters but not others. Darkness resulted from aging varnish rather than actual night setting. People represented lifelike individual portraits within contrived theatrical structure. Street setting invented while allusion appeared to serious works like School of Athens by Raphael. Calmness of two officers continuing duty despite disturbance indicated moral excellence according to Joseph Manca. Style showed real event in real place yet complex structure suggested theater or parody. Painting remains most famous work though reception varied significantly among contemporaries.
Rembrandt Research Project began operations in 1968 under Netherlands Organization for Advancement of Scientific Research sponsorship. Initial expectation lasted ten years before extending indefinitely. Art historians teamed with experts using state-of-the-art technical diagnostics reassessing authenticity. Many paintings previously attributed removed from list while others added back. Polish Rider now housed Frick Collection New York exemplified ongoing controversy. Alfred von Wurzbach questioned authorship early twentieth century Julius S. Held agreed later decades. Josua Bruyn cautiously attributed painting to Willem Drost about whom little known. Majority opinion rejected suggestion favoring master attribution. Simon Schama and Ernst van de Wetering argued decisively for Rembrandt's hand in 1999 book Rembrandt's Eyes. Pilate Washing His Hands dated 1660s assigned anonymous pupil possibly Aert de Gelder lacking master command illumination modeling. Studio practice complicated matters since encouraged students copy finishing retouch sold originals authorized copies. Uneven quality frequent stylistic evolutions experiments further complicated identification. Later imitations restorations damaged original works beyond recognition.
United States holds largest number of Rembrandt paintings totaling eighty-six across multiple institutions including Metropolitan Museum Art Frick Collection National Gallery Washington DC Museum Fine Arts Boston J Paul Getty Museum Los Angeles. Germany contains sixty-nine paintings distributed among Gemäldegalerie Berlin Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister Dresden Schloss Wilhelmshöhe Kassel. United Kingdom totals fifty-one pieces especially National Gallery Royal Collection Netherlands maintains forty-nine works many Rijksmuseum which houses The Night Watch Jewish Bride Mauritshuis The Hague. Louvre Hermitage Museum Stockholm Nationalmuseum hold additional significant holdings. Large drawing collections exist Rijksmuseum Louvre British Museum though majority prints. Rembrandt House Museum displays many drawings almost all etchings rotating selection. Morgan Library New York claims best American collection impressions most three hundred known etchings nearly five hundred images online. Impressions continued printed others until at least nineteenth century plates reworked worn condition. Seventy-nine original copper plates existed 1986. Exhibitions span decades from 1898 Amsterdam tentoonstelling to recent shows like Rembrandt's Light Dulwich Picture Gallery London 2019. Cultural impact remains profound through global museum holdings modern exhibitions scholarly debates.
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Common questions
When and where was Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn born?
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn entered the world on the 15th of July 1606 in Leiden, a city within the Dutch Republic. His father worked as a miller while his mother came from a family of bakers.
Who were Rembrandt's first masters during his artistic training?
Jacob van Swanenburg became his first master for three years of training before he studied with history painter Pieter Lastman in Amsterdam for six months. Simon van Leeuwen later claimed that Joris van Schooten also taught the young artist.
What happened to Rembrandt's financial situation in 1656?
July 1656 marked his declaration of insolvency where he willingly surrendered assets after transferring the house to his son. Authorities and creditors showed leniency granting ample time to settle debts following this formal sale of property.
How did Rembrandt's painting style change between 1640 and 1658?
Colors became richer while brush strokes grew more pronounced during the 1650s and light appeared jagged and harsh with shine almost nonexistent. Late periods embraced rough treatment featuring richly variegated paint surfaces suggesting tactile quality compared to early smooth techniques.
Which museum holds the largest number of Rembrandt paintings today?
United States holds largest number of Rembrandt paintings totaling eighty-six across multiple institutions including Metropolitan Museum Art Frick Collection National Gallery Washington DC Museum Fine Arts Boston J Paul Getty Museum Los Angeles.