Rembrandt

Considered by many to be the greatest Dutch artist of all time, Rembrandt heavily influenced the art scene in Netherlands. Also a prolific draughtsman and printmaker, his unique style of etching helped elevate printmaking into an art form. While he enjoyed success as a portrait artist at a young age, his latter years were marred by personal tragedy and financial burdens.

History and Career

Rembrandt was born into a large family in Leiden in 1606. The son of a miller and a baker, he was relatively well to do and attended Latin school till the age of thirteen. He then enrolled in the University of Leiden where he nurtured his passion for fine arts.

After spending four years as an apprentice under various Dutch painters, he opened his own studio in 1624 with his friend Jan Lievens. While many of his contemporaries traveled abroad to study under different masters, Rembrandt chose to stay in Leiden – in fact he never traveled outside the Netherlands in his life. He continued to produce and collect art in this time and even started taking in students by 1627.

In 1629, a wealthy statesman discovered Rembrandt and through him, the artist developed a working relationship with Prince Hendrik who continued to purchase art till the 1640s. At the turn of the decade, Rembrandt moved to Amsterdam where he married Saskia, the cousin of an art dealer and the two moved in together at a property they bought in a wealthy neighborhood.

Rembrandt’s art was highly sought and his business was flourishing but he still often found himself in debt due to spending. A series of tragedies struck him as he lost three of his four children before they could even turn one year of age, Titus being the only child to make it to adulthood. Saskia also sadly passed away in 1642, and Rembrandt's renditions of her on her sickbed are some of his most captivating works.

He had tumultuous relationships with a nurse and a maid which got him into significant financial trouble along with the ire of the reformed church. Rembrandt was a collector of art and antiques and his splurging on artefacts further compounded his financial problems – leading him to being banned from the Amsterdam painter’s guild and forced to sell his house.

By 1662 the artist was still fulfilling commissions after settling down into more modest means and inventively circumventing the guild’s ban using a dummy corporation. The wealthy duke and patron of art, Cosimo III de Medici is also said to have visited Rembrandt in this time. 

Sadly, Rembrandt outlived both his mistress and his son before passing away in 1669 in Amsterdam.

Legacy

A prolific painter and collector of art, Rembrandt also took many students under his wing from Gerrit Dou to Aert de Gelder who all went to have successful careers in their own right.

Rembrandt’s self-portraits offer an intimate view into his life and his paintings are regarded as his greatest contribution to the world of art. It is his printwork, however that established him as the greatest etcher of his lifetime. 

Famous Works

Born into a family that was part Catholic and part Reformed, Rembrandt’s paintings often revolved around religious themes. His works exhibit, not only knowledge of the subject, but also the written verses behind it. A lot of his work also took inspiration from historic events. Apart from his religious works, Rembrandt has composed portraits of contemporaries and commissions for wealthy patrons.

Contemporaries

Jan Lievens is probably the closest contemporary to Rembrandt, sharing the same birthplace, apprenticing under the same master and even opening a studio together. Unlike Rembrandt, however, Jan chose to travel, working in London, Antwerp and Berlin. He is known for his character studies, landscapes and religious paintings.

Franz Hals was another contemporary of Rembrandt from Antwerp. Like Rembrandt, he did not leave the Netherlands and instead worked and lived in Haarlem all his life. While he did study under a Mannerist painter, it does not truly reflect in his work.