2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25
Rembrandt Van Rijn, whose paintings can be seen in many museums around the world, today is known to every person on Earth. Fear and joy, surprise and indignation are reflected in his works so naturally that it is impossible not to believe them. Crazy popularity, tragic fate and the sad decline of life are still a reason for gossip and philosophical reasoning.
Youth
The artist Rembrandt was born in the family of a baker in 1606 in the Dutch city of Leiden, located on the banks of the Rhine. Very early he felt his artistic talent. After studying at home for several years, the young man went to Amsterdam to take lessons from the famous painter Lastman. The training did not last long, and at the age of 19, Rembrandt returned back to Leiden. At this time, he paints portraits of his relatives and friends, and also pays great attention to self-portraits. Many works of the author have survived to this day, where he depicts himself in various images.
Recognition
One day, an aspiring artist gets a great order from the Guild of Surgeons. This is how the work "Anatomy Lesson" appears. The painting brings Rembrandt recognition. He immediately receives more than fifty commissions for portraits of grandees and Amsterdam nobility. Simultaneously with popularity, the well-being of the master also grows. He begins to collect antiques and period costumes. He acquires a chic home that he fills with exquisite period furniture and art.
Saskia
At the age of 28, Rembrandt, whose paintings are becoming more and more popular, marries a rich girl Saskia. He married for love and not only preserved, but also increased the capital of his beloved. Rembrandt idolized his wife, often portraying her in various images in his works. One of the artist's most famous paintings, Self-Portrait with Saskia, shows a happy Rembrandt with his young wife. At the same time, the artist receives an order for a series of works with a biblical story. So there are paintings by Rembrandt with the names "The Sacrifice of Abraham" and "The Feast of Belshazzar." Also, one of the most famous works of the master “Danae” belongs to this period. The picture was rewritten by the artist several times and has several author's options.
Sunset of life
The artist's carefree time did not last long. Not everyone liked Rembrandt's manner of portraying a person as he is. After writing the painting "Night Watch" an incredible scandal erupted. Foreign faces appeared on the canvas. Perhaps the reason was that in the midst of work, his beloved Saskia died of tuberculosis. In the picture, along with the figures of archers, you can see the silhouette of a girl, so reminiscent of the master's wife. The popularity of the author begins to fall. There are almost no new orders. Having lost his house and all his property, Rembrandt, whose paintings take on a new, philosophical meaning, begins to portray ordinary people and their loved ones. He writes a lot about the image of his son, as well as the people who surround him in the last years of his life. At this time, Rembrandt's paintings were born with the titles "Portrait of an old man in red", "Portrait of the son of Titus reading" and other works. At the end of his life, another masterpiece appears from the master's pen - "The Return of the Prodigal Son". In this picture, the master depicts himself as an eternal wanderer, who is forced to wander along the difficult roads of changeable glory. In 1969, having buried his son with his bride, Rembrandt himself dies, leaving his creative mark on this world forever. Today, the artist's paintings take pride of place in any major museum in the world.
The most famous paintings by Rembrandt. Anatomy Lesson (1632)
This painting is the first major commission received by Rembrandt after his move to Amsterdam. The canvas depicts an autopsy performed by Dr. Tulp. The doctor holds the tendons of his hand with forceps, showing his students how to bend the fingers. Similar group portraits at that time were very popular among the guilds of doctors. True, as a rule, members of the group posed for them, sitting in a row. Rembrandt, whose paintings were differentnaturalness and realism, portrayed the students in a close circle, attentively listening to the words of Dr. Tulp. Pale faces and the corpse itself stand out with bright light spots against the gloomy and dark background of the picture. The work brought Rembrandt the first popularity, after which orders fell on the author with incredible speed.
"Self-portrait with Saskia" (1635)
Throughout his life, Rembrandt painted an incredible number of self-portraits. This painting is one of the most famous. Here the artist's jubilation from the happiness of owning his beloved is depicted. The emotional state of the painter is reflected in the open look of the characters, in the radiant face of Rembrandt, as if choking with happiness and well-being. However, a hidden provocation lurks in the portrait: after all, the artist portrays himself in the image of that same “prodigal son” feasting with an ordinary courtesan. How different is the "prodigal son" in this self-portrait from the one that the audience knows from the picture of the same name!
"Danae" (1636)
The most famous of Rembrandt's paintings. It was written based on the myth of Perseus' mother, Danae. According to legend, the girl's father found out that he would die from the son of his own daughter, and imprisoned her in a dungeon. Zeus entered the prisoner in the form of a rain of gold, after which Perseus was born. The picture attracts with its unusual color, characteristic of the artist's work. In the center is a naked woman, whose body is illuminated by bright sunlight. In this image, Rembrandt, whose paintings often depict people close to him, captured the image of hisbeloved wife Saskia. The image of an angel was attributed after the death of his wife. It seems that he is always crying for the fate of the deceased. Rembrandt rewrote his favorite brainchild for a long time, changing the mood of the picture in accordance with his feelings. The combination of shimmering tones and golden highlights is striking in its sophistication and splendor.
The fate of the picture is amazing and dramatic, as is the life story of the artist himself. After the death of the author, the masterpiece changed many owners. After the acquisition of the work by Catherine II, "Danae" took pride of place in the famous Hermitage collection. In 1985, an unpleasant incident occurred in the museum, which almost deprived the world of the opportunity to contemplate the work of Rembrandt. One madman approached the painting and splashed acid on it. The paint immediately began to bubble. But this was not enough for the attacker: he managed to make a couple of cuts on the canvas with a knife until he was stopped. Damage affected about 30% of the masterpiece. The maniac turned out to be a certain Bronyus Maigis, who later spent 6 years in a psychiatric clinic. The restoration of the painting lasted 12 years. Now it is on display in the Hermitage under armored glass that protects the masterpiece from vandals. Another fact is also interesting. A work of art and its reproductions are often filmed. For example, "Danae" appears in the series "Gangster Petersburg" as Rembrandt's painting "Aegina".
Night Watch (1642)
The painting was ordered to Rembrandt by the head of the infantry division. The canvas depicts a company of militia, which is senton a hike. Musketeers, encouraged by drumming, are depicted alongside soldiers of various social status and age, ready for battle. All of them are united by masculinity and patriotic impulse. The work is distinguished by thoroughness in drawing all the images and details. Rembrandt's painting "Night Watch" evokes in the viewers, who look at it, a complete sense of the reality of everything that happens. The author tried not only to show the external features of all the characters, but also to reveal the inner world of each soldier. The apotheosis of the picture is the triumphal arch - a symbol of past successes and a harbinger of a new glorious victory. With the help of colorful colors (gold, black and yellow), the viewer reveals the energy, drama and solemnity of the mood of the military. The character and fate of each character are read thanks to the brush of a famous artist.
There are many versions about the girl depicted almost in the center of the picture. It differs from all bright colors and angelic appearance. Perhaps this is some kind of mascot of the militia. According to another version, the girl is the image of the author's beloved wife, who left for another world in the midst of painting. As you know, the work did not please the customers. After they bought the painting, they savagely cut the canvas and hung it in the banqueting hall.
Return of the Prodigal Son (1666-1669)
Rembrandt's painting "The Return of the Prodigal Son" is one of the brightest pinnacles of the famous artist's work. It was written in the last years of the master's life. This is the time hewas very old and weak, needy and starving. The theme of the prodigal son has repeatedly and previously arose in the artist's work. This work is a conclusion, summing up the results of many years of creative wanderings of the famous author. The picture radiates all the warmth and depth of the Rembrandt palette. Shimmering colors and an elegant play of light and shadow emphasize the images of the main characters. In the guise of a venerable old man and his prodigal son, a whole gamut of various feelings is expressed: repentance and love, mercy and the bitterness of a belated insight. According to art historians, the entire psychological talent of the painter was revealed in The Return. He put all his accumulated creative experience, all his passion, all his inspiration into his brainchild.
Conclusion
It's hard to imagine how Rembrandt depicted the paintings, the description of which is presented in this article. How many years have passed since the day of their creation, how much soot from tallow candles has covered them over three centuries of history! We can only guess what they looked like on their birthdays. Meanwhile, to this day, millions of admirers of the talent of the famous painter in different museums around the world come to look at his masterpieces.
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