Artist Rembrandt van Rijn: biography, creativity

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Art makes our life more interesting and beautiful. There are people who will be remembered for centuries to come, whose work will be inherited by new generations.

After reading this article, you will become closer to understanding the heritage of world art, which was left behind by the great master - the artist Rembrandt van Rijn.

Biography

Today he is called the master of shadows, as well as a man who could put absolutely any emotion on the canvas. Next, let's get acquainted with the life path that he had to go through.

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606-1669) was born in the Netherlands, in the city of Leiden. From a young age he was interested in painting, and from the age of 13 he studied fine art with Jacob van Swanenbürch, who was a history painter.

After that, it is known that at the age of 17 Rembrandt studied with Peter Lastman, having arrived in Amsterdam. His teacher specialized in biblical motifs and mythology.

Mind my own business

By the age of 21, Rembrandt van Rijn, together with his friend, opened a drawing workshop andconducted regular recruitment of students and classes in the fine arts. It took just a few years, and he became popular among others as a master of his craft.

Together with his friend Lievens, they were already creating masterpieces at that time, and they were noticed by Constantine Huygens, who was the secretary of the Prince of Orange. He called the picture with Judas one of the best works of art of antiquity. He played a big role in the development of the artist, helping to establish contacts with we althy clients.

New life in Amsterdam

By 1631, Rembrandt van Rijn had already completely moved to live in Amsterdam. Life in this city was full of orders from significant clients who saw him as a great young artist. At this time, his friend went to study in England, where he also tried to succeed under the auspices of a new teacher.

Meanwhile, the artist begins to get involved in the image of faces. He is interested in the facial expressions of each person, he tries to experiment with the painted heads of people. Rembrandt van Rijn was able to accurately convey everything that the eyes of the person from whom he wrote the masterpiece said.

It was the portraits at that time that brought the artist commercial success. In addition, he was fond of self-portraits. You can find many of his works, where he depicted himself in imaginary costumes and attire, interesting poses.

Glory time

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn gained universal recognition in Amsterdam after painting “The Anatomy Lesson of Doctor Tulp” in 1632, where he depicted surgeons,whom the doctor taught to dissect on the example of a corpse.

If you look at this picture, you can see that fine line with which the master depicted the facial expression of each of them. These are not just people's faces, he managed to convey the general wary emotion of a whole group of students.

And the way he portrayed the shadow in the picture amazed many experts of that time. They unanimously began to say that Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn had matured along with his paintings.

It can be said that this time is considered one of the most favorable in the life of a young artist. After his marriage to Saskia van Uilenbürch in 1634, commissions rained down on his head faster than he could paint.

In the first years of life in the new city, the young Rembrandt van Rijn managed to paint more than 50 paintings. The paintings were special and bright, writers recalled his creations more than once. For example, Jost van den Vondel, then the most famous poet and playwright, paid tribute to the author in his poems about the portrait of Cornelis Anslo he painted.

At that time, he had enough money to buy his own mansion. Taking a great interest in art and studying the works of classics and other masters, he filled his house with famous works of both contemporaries and creations of ancient times.

Family life

Today's art critics celebrate the good works of the time, which were written by Rembrandt van Rijn. Paintings of his wife Saskia in various clothes andagainst different backgrounds, they say that the master has fully matured and began to create his art on canvases.

There was also grief - the three children that he had during his marriage died at a young age. But in 1641, the couple had a son, Titus, who was an outlet for young parents. That turbulent time was perfectly imprinted on the artist’s painting “The Prodigal Son in the Tavern”.

Unpleasant event

Further on, the biography of Rembrandt van Rijn begins to acquire even darker shades. A year after the birth of a son, his wife dies.

As in the early years, the imagination of the great artist always pushed him to create paintings with certain biblical subjects. What is his painting “The Sacrifice of Abraham”, which he painted in 1635, worth! Emotions and mood are so clearly conveyed, you start to worry that it is worth blinking, as soon as the knife will plunge into the flesh.

In modern art, this feeling can only be conveyed by photographers who take a clear picture in motion. Indeed, his ability to display the atmosphere of situations processed by the imagination of the great master is amazing.

Beginning of problems

The death of his wife did not end the artist's failures. The views of the artist gradually changed. That young Rembrandt van Rijn, whose work delighted his contemporaries, gradually disappeared.

In 1642 he received a great offer to paint a portrait of the Musketeers, which was to be placed in the newly built building of the Shooting Society. It was one of the biggestpaintings that the master ever wrote - it reached four meters.

According to the vision of the customers, the artist had to create an ordinary portrait of soldiers that would radiate strength and confidence. Unfortunately, the artist Rembrandt van Rijn completed the task in his own way.

As you can see in the painting “Night Watch”, which is shown below, his work can hardly be called a portrait. The canvas depicts a whole scene of preparing a rifle company for a sudden campaign.

And you can see how the movement in the picture has frozen. This is a separate frame from the life of soldiers. There was a lot of indignation from customers about this. Some of the Musketeers were relegated to the background, while others were captured in an awkward position.

In addition, the sharp play of light and shadow, which, perhaps, no one could depict so brightly and boldly on the canvas, also did not arouse admiration.

After that, Rembrandt van Rijn, whose works were considered among the best yesterday, began to become uninteresting to a high-ranking public. And this meant at that time that no one would place expensive orders with him.

Now imagine a person who lived all his life in a big way, and then abruptly lost his source of income. Will he be able to give up his usual life already?

Modernity required detailed paintings

Students are gradually leaving him. Rembrandt's vision is gradually becoming out of step with the fashion of that time - new trends were moving towards maximum detail. That is, if the artist begandraw like he did when he was young, there would be a lot of demand for him.

But life is unpredictable, just like a real creative person. His hand was getting hard, he liked to play with the shadow, blurring the sharp edges of objects.

The inability to make good money affected his financial situation. Considering that his late wife was a lady from a we althy family, her dowry passed completely into his possession. And, having no income, he simply spent it, or “burned it”, for his own needs.

At the end of the forties of the 17th century, he got along with his maid Hendrickje. It can be seen in some of his paintings. At the time, the laws were strict on family ties, and his muse was condemned by the courts when they had baby Cornelia.

It is difficult to find famous canvases from this period of the artist's life. He gradually moved away from the many containing motifs and scenes that he wrote in the recent past.

But he, as a creative person, showed himself in other areas. At that time, he already masterfully performed etchings. It took him 7 years to complete a masterpiece called “Christ Healing the Sick”.

He was able to sell it for 100 guilders, which was quite large for that time. This etching is considered the best of those that Rembrandt could create.

Rembrandt's Sunset

The elderly artist was increasingly faced with material problems. In 1656 he became a complete bankrupt, having transferred all his inheritance to his son. There was nothing to live on. A year later he had to sellhis estate. The proceeds helped him move to the quiet outskirts of Amsterdam. He settled in the Jewish quarter.

The closest person to him during his old age was his son. But Rembrandt was not lucky, because he lived to see his death. He could no longer endure the blows of fate, and a year later he also died.

Today's Rembrandt

Art never dies. Creators live in their works, in particular, artists are always part of their canvases. The essence of a person is conveyed in his style and skill in painting.

Today, Rembrandt van Rijn is considered an artist with a capital letter and is recognized by all critics. His work is highly valued. For example, in 2009, at an auction, his painting “Half-length portrait of an unknown man standing on his hips”, painted in 1658, was sold for a record price of 41 million US dollars (in terms of the exchange rate of that time).

Also appreciated his painting "Portrait of an elderly woman", which in 2000 was sold for about 32 million dollars. This canvas does not even dare to be called a “picture”. It just looks like a big photograph - only a great master could detail the face so much.

People like Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn are truly inspiring. And it is not necessary to become an artist, you just need to do what you like, and most importantly - from the heart.