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The Dutch painter and printmaker Rembrandt van Rijn was one of the greatest storytellers in the history of art, possessing an exceptional ability to render people in their various moods and dramatic guises. Rembrandt is also known as a painter of light and shade and as an artist who favoured an uncompromising realism that would lead some critics to claim that he preferred ugliness to beauty.
In anticipation of the artist's 400th birthday this week, Inside Britannica examines the life and works of Rembrandt.
• Portrait Paintings
From 1631 to 1635, Rembrandt produced a substantial number of portraits, producing much livelier portraits than those created by the specialized portrait painters who had dominated the Amsterdam scene before his arrival. By limiting the amount of detail and using simple but dynamic contours, Rembrandt avoided distracting the viewer's attention.
• History Paintings
While working with Amsterdam entrepreneur Hendrick Uylenburgh, Rembrandt also made history paintings—mainly biblical scenes—evidently basing them on a strict reading of Old and New Testament texts.
| Lesser known aspects of Rembrandt |
• As an Etcher
Much of Rembrandt's international fame during his lifetime would be based on the widely disseminated prints he produced from the 300 or so etchings he made over the course of his career.
• As a Teacher
Over the years Rembrandt's fame attracted many young men who were ambitious to study with him once they had completed their basic training elsewhere. Great talents such as Gerrit Dou, Govaert Flinck, Carel Fabritius, and Aert de Gelder were among these students.
• As a Collector
The size and scope of his collection is known from the inventory of Rembrandt's possessions drawn up in 1656 when, along with his house, the entire collection had to be auctioned in a vain effort to meet the demands of his creditors.
| Some of Rembrandt's influences |
• Leonardo da Vinci
This Italian painter, draftsman, sculptor, architect, and engineer's genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance humanist ideal. His "Last Supper" (1495-98) and "Mona Lisa" (c. 1503-06) are among the most widely popular and influential paintings of the Renaissance.
• Albrecht Dürer
This painter and printmaker is generally regarded as the greatest German Renaissance artist. His vast body of work includes
altarpieces and religious works, numerous portraits and self-portraits, and copper engravings.
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• Titian
Considered by many to be the greatest Italian Renaissance painter of the Venetian school. He was recognized early in his own lifetime as a supremely great painter, and many other great masters—including Peter Paul Rubens and Nicolas Poussin—paid him the compliment of imitation.
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| Rembrandt's Contemporaries |
• Peter Paul Rubens
This Flemish painter was the greatest exponent of Baroque painting's dynamism, vitality, and sensuous exuberance. Though his masterpieces include portraits and landscapes, Rubens is perhaps best known for his religious and mythological compositions.
• Gerrit van Honthorst
This Dutch painter was a leading member of the Utrecht school influenced by the Italian painter Caravaggio. Rembrandt's use of Caravaggesque devices in his early works derives in large part from his knowledge of Honthorst's paintings.
• Thomas de Keyser
This Dutch Baroque painter and architect is best known for his portraiture of leading civic figures in Amsterdam. He was the son of the distinguished architect and sculptor Hendrick de Keyser.
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The Works of Rembrandt
"Aristotle with a Bust of Homer" - oil on canvas, 1653.
"Night Watch" - oil on canvas, 1642.
"Danaë" - oil on canvas, 1636.
"Holy Family with Angels" - oil on canvas, 1645.
"Portrait historié as Isaac and Rebecca (better known as The Jewish Bride)" - oil on canvas, 1667.
"Portrait of Gérard de Lairesse" - oil on canvas, 1665.
"Woman with the Arrow" - etching (drypoint and burin), 1661.
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View more classic works of art from Rembrandt's collection.
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Rembrandt took himself as a subject many times. Roughly one-tenth of Rembrandt's painted and etched oeuvre consists of studies of his own face as well as more formal self-portraits.
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