Short biography of Rembrandt and his work

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

Rembrandt's biography is tragic. The artist was dying in poverty, but before that he lost all his relatives. His paintings during his lifetime were not appreciated, and his students betrayed him in the most difficult period. But the trials did not break the great painter, the strength of his spirit was so great that he could laugh at his own sorrows, and even at death itself.

Rembrandt Age

In the seventeenth century Holland was one of the richest countries in Europe. Goods flocked to Amsterdam from all over the world. Bankers and merchants wanted to see works that would reflect their life as truthfully as possible. Under such conditions, painting was the most popular and developed form of art. Every self-respecting Dutchman believed that the picture must certainly be present in his home. And it was under such conditions that Rembrandt's creative biography took shape.

Dutch artists

Some masters painted pictures, others painted still lifes, others were great at genre scenes. The fourth preferred to depict nature. However, they all sought to depict reality truthfully and without embellishment. But, no matter how great the skill of the Dutchpainters, all surpassed Rembrandt.

Such people are born once in a century, or even less often. Simplicity and humanity lived in his skill, but in himself there was a whole universe. Like no one else, Rembrandt was able to know the inner world of a person and his complex emotional experiences. A brief biography of this master is set out today in various sources, and after reading it, one wonders how this man could create his canvases when the need forced them to give them for nothing, and his fellow writers contemptuously called him "a heretic in painting." Indeed, a true artist creates even when stones are thrown at him.

The Lonely Painter

He was never surrounded by admirers. Not a single poet sang it during his lifetime. This painter was not invited to official celebrations, and on the days of grandiose festivities, he was also forgotten about. However, he was not upset. Rembrandt's usual favorite company consisted of shopkeepers, philistines, peasants and artisans. The common people were extremely close to him. The artist's favorite place was one of the port taverns, where sailors, itinerant actors and petty thieves scurried around. There he would sit for hours, observing and making sketches. In the world of art, which is nothing but a special reflection of reality, which can only be seen by the elect, Rembrandt spent his whole life. A biography, a brief summary of which represents only the most significant facts from life, is set out below. However, in order to feel the incredible skill of this brilliant personality, you need to see the works. After all, lifethe artist conveyed in his paintings.

Birth of a genius

In 1606, a son was born into the family of a we althy Dutch miller named Harmens, who became the sixth child. They called him Rembrandt. The mill was located near the city of the Rhine, and therefore Van Rhine was added to the name of all family members. The full name of one of the greatest figures in world painting is Rembrandt Harmenszoon Van Rijn.

The short biography of this man can be described in just a few words: continuous work and constant creative search. Perhaps it was talent that saved him. There were so many losses and disappointments in the life of the artist that, perhaps, only art could get rid of despair. But before moving on to the tragic events in his life, a few words should be said about that time, which was distinguished by its cloudlessness and unprecedented success in creativity. It is worth paying tribute to the fate of the great master. Rembrandt Van Rijn was not always alone and unhappy.

Short biography

As a child, Rembrandt studied Latin and other important sciences. Parents did not skimp on the education of their beloved son, because they dreamed that he would become an official or a famous scientist. However, the craving for drawing, which in the early years was manifested in cute drawings, later, already in adolescence, led Rembrandt to the workshop of one of the local painters. There he studied for only six months, and then opened his own.

Rembrandt's teachers were contemporaries and artists of the past. He mastered the technique of painting and engraving, studied artItaly on copies. One of the first paintings is "Tulpa Anatomy Lesson". We can say that it was from this canvas that Rembrandt the artist began his independent creative path. His biography says that the first few years after graduating from painting in his life were only joyful events.

Saxia

At twenty-five, the artist moved to the capital, and three years later he married the daughter of the burgomaster. The girl's name was Saxia. And she became the main muse of the master. The image of the wife is immortalized by the famous portrait painter with extraordinary tenderness.

Family happiness coincided with a creative take-off - Rembrandt began to receive highly paid orders from we althy people. At the same time, he had many students. The artist was finally able to purchase his own house. Rembrandt Van Rijn, whose brief biography is set out in the article, not only wrote a lot, but also revered the talent of other masters. He was a collector, collecting authentic Persian miniatures, shells, vases and antique busts. In his new house there was enough space for a workshop, and for living rooms, and for a special room where the works of Raphael, Dürer and Mantegna were kept.

This is how Rembrandt began his career, whose brief biography includes only one small period of recognition and success, namely, the 30s. During this time, the artist painted more than sixty portraits. The most famous of them is Danae. During the period of work on this picture, the painter was at the zenith of fame.

But suddenly everything changed: they diedthree children, his beloved wife passed away. Soon he lost his mother and sisters. Rembrandt was left alone with his young son. Life gave a crack that did not last until the end of his days.

Poverty

In the 50s, orders were getting smaller and smaller. We althy people no longer needed his portraits. Paintings were not required in churches either. This was explained by the fact that Protestantism nevertheless won in Holland, whose representatives looked very negatively at the use of religious motifs in the visual arts.

In addition, outstanding debts made themselves felt. Rembrandt was officially sued. He was declared insolvent, and all the property was sold. But even after that, not all creditors were satisfied, and the court ruled that the paintings that would be created in the future should also go to pay off the remaining debts. All this meant an absolutely beggarly existence.

The painter, who in the past knew fame and fortune, turned into a lonely, forgotten poor man by the age of fifty. Although he still wrote a lot, all his canvases were immediately taken away by creditors. The consolation was the second wife, with whom Rembrandt was only in a civil marriage, which was very disapprovingly perceived by society. However, marrying this woman for him meant losing custody of his son.

Thus began a new difficult period, which Rembrandt Harmens Van Rhine endured with extraordinary courage. From that moment on, the artist’s biography consists more of sorrows, and even if there were moments of enlightenment, then completelynot for long, and then some tragedy happened again.

Hendrickje

The image of the second wife is also captured on the canvases of the famous painter. She was inferior to the first in youth and beauty, but the artist looked at her with eyes of love and portrayed her with great warmth. But the church condemned his way of life, and the daughter given to Rembrandt by his second wife was declared illegitimate. The plight led to the fact that the painter's family was forced to move to one of the poorest quarters of Amsterdam.

Rembrandt, whose biography contains many sad facts, has known true love. And Hendrickje was not only a caring and loving wife, but also distinguished by extraordinary kindness. This woman was able to replace the mother of Rembrandt's son from his first marriage.

For a while, I managed to improve my financial situation. In this, the artist was helped by his son, who, together with his stepmother, opened an antique shop. But fate continued to test the artist. In 1663 he lost his beloved Hendrickje Rembrandt.

The biography and books devoted to the biography of the great master tell that there was another muse in his life. This woman was much younger than Rembrandt, but her unfortunate artist survived.

Son died five years after Hendrickje's death. Only his daughter remained with Rembrandt, who at that time was fourteen. But, in spite of everything, the painter did not stop there and did not give up. He also continued to paint, cutengravings…

In 1669 the great painter died in the arms of his daughter. He left quietly and imperceptibly. And his talent was only appreciated after his death.

Creativity

Rembrandt's biography - the life of a martyr. His work is the pinnacle of Dutch painting. This master, however, was extremely lonely among fellow artists. His contemporaries did not recognize him. But the art of the Baroque, and above all the work of Michelangelo, had a huge influence on the work of the Dutch painter.

The artist painted what he saw with his own eyes in real life. Rembrandt's biography says that his life developed in such a way that he had the opportunity to see the world around him without embellishment. He transferred the sad experience of contemplation to the canvas. But the way he did it was unusually poetic. On the canvases of Van Rijn, twilight always reigns. Gentle golden light highlights the figures from it.

Bible Motives

An important place in the work of the Dutch artist was occupied by religion. It was here that he showed the originality of his skill. The main source of inspiration throughout the entire creative path for Rembrandt were biblical stories. Even when paintings on religious themes were no longer in demand, he painted them for himself, because he felt an irresistible need for this. In the canvases dedicated to this topic, he put his soul, his prayer, as well as a deep reading of the Gospel.

The artist's latest work is amazing. And the first thing that catches your eye is sharpnessstyle, the depth of penetration into the inner world of artistic images. Biography of Rembrandt and his paintings seem to have no connection. The images on the canvases are so peaceful that it does not fit in with the difficult tragic fate of the author.

New genre

In recent years, the artist often painted self-portraits. When looking at them, one gets the impression that Rembrandt was trying to unravel his own life. Looking into them, as into a mirror, he sought to know his fate and the plan of God, which so bizarrely led him through life. His self-portraits were not only the pinnacle of creativity. There is nothing like it in world art. These canvases are unique in the history of portraiture.

The last self-portraits show a man with a spiritual face, who heroically endures difficult trials and overcomes the bitterness of loss. Rembrandt is the founder of a peculiar genre of portrait-biography. Such paintings convey not only the appearance, but also the fate of a person, his inner world.

The biography and work of Rembrandt of the fifties are marked primarily by outstanding achievements in writing a portrait. During this period, his works were distinguished, as a rule, by their impressive size, monumentality of forms and calm, peaceful poses. The sitters often sat in pompous deep armchairs with their hands folded on their knees and their faces turned to the viewer. One of the characteristic features of the great portrait painter is the highlighting of the face and brushes with light.hands.

As a rule, the sitters were middle-aged people, wise by hard life experience - old men and women with a deep seal of sad thoughts on their faces and overwork on their hands. Such models provided the artist with the opportunity to brilliantly demonstrate not only the external signs of old age, but also the inner world of a person. In the unusually soulful portraits of the great Rembrandt, one can feel the life lived by a person after a long study. When the master depicted relatives, friends, unfamiliar old people, urban beggars, he could convey with amazing vigilance slightly perceptible spiritual movements, a lively trembling in the face and even a change of mood.

The legacy of this master is huge. Rembrandt was distinguished by his incredible capacity for work: he created more than two hundred and fifty paintings, three hundred engravings and thousands of drawings. The great master died in poverty. And only after death, the canvases created by Rembrandt began to be valued dearly. A brief biography and work of the Dutch painter is described in this article. But this gives a very superficial understanding of the difficult path of a genius who played an outstanding role in the development of world fine arts. Today, the master's paintings are in many museums around the world and are included in private collections.