Albany Fine Art : Biography of REMBRANDT HARMENSZOON VAN RIJN

REMBRANDT Harmenszoon van Rijn

Dutch, 1606-1669

Rembrandt Self-Portrait (c.1637)
© National Gallery of Art,

Washington DC, USA

The greatest painter of the Dutch school and one of the most important artists in the tradition of western European art

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was born in Leiden, The Netherlands, in 1606. Although born of relatively humble origins (his father was a miller), his parents wanted their son to follow a learned profession, hence taking great care with his education.

He began his studies at the Latin School, and at the age of 14 he was enrolled at the University of Leiden but Rembrandt soon left the university to study painting, first with a local master, Jacob van Swanenburch (Dutch, 1571-1638), and then, from 1623-24, with the historical painter, Pieter Lastman (Dutch, 1583-1633) in Amsterdam.

Having mastered everything he had been taught after only six months, Rembrandt returned to Leiden, where he was soon so highly regarded that although barely 22 years old, he established a studio, probably with Jan Lievens (Dutch, 1607-1674) and took on his first pupil, Gerrit Dou (Dutch, 1613-1675).

Rembrandt’s early work was devoted to showing the lines, light and shade, and colour of the people he saw about him. He was influenced by the work of Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, Italian, 1571-1610) and was fascinated by the work of many other Italian artists. When Rembrandt became established as a painter, he began to teach and continued teaching art throughout his life.

By 1631 Rembrandt had established his artistic reputation and his studio in Leiden was flourishing and, in 1631/2 he moved permanently to Amsterdam. He rapidly became the leading portrait painter in Holland, receiving many commissions for portraits as well as for paintings of religious subjects.

In Amsterdam, he lived the life of a wealthy, respected citizen and it was here that he met the beautiful Saskia van Uylenburgh, whom he married in 1634, and who was to become the model for many of his paintings and drawings.

Saskia was the cousin of a successful art dealer and their marriage certainly enhanced Rembrandt’s career, bringing him into contact with wealthy patrons many of whom eagerly commissioned his portraits.

An exceptionally fine example of his work from this period is the Portrait of Nicolaes Ruts (1631, The Frick Collection, New York). In addition, Rembrandt's mythological, religious works, and landscapes were much in demand, and he painted numerous dramatic masterpieces such as The Blinding of Samson (1636, Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt). And when he had no other model, he painted or sketched his own image: it is estimated that he painted between 50 and 60 self-portraits. He also developed his skills as an etcher to such an extent that he ranks among the foremost of all time.

Rembrandt was renowned as a teacher and his studio was filled with pupils, some of whom were already trained artists. In the 20th century, scholars have re-attributed a number of his paintings to his associates (attributing and identifying Rembrandt's works is still an active area of art scholarship).

In 1639 Rembrandt purchased a fashionable town house in Breestraat, Amsterdam for 13,000 guilders, a huge sum (which he could not settle in its entirety but was allowed to pay off in instalments). He lived here until 1656 where he produced many of his most famous works. It is now the Rembrandt Museum.

In contrast to his successful public career Rembrandt's family life was marked by misfortune. Between 1635 and 1641 Saskia gave birth to four children, but only the last, Titus, survived. Saski herself died at the age of 30, in 1642, the same year that he painted one of his most famous works, The Night Watch (1642. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam).

Some years later, c.1649, Rembrandt engaged as his housekeeper, Hendrickje Stoffels, who was eventually to become his common-law wife, the mother of a child born in 1654, and the model for many of his pictures.

Despite Rembrandt's financial success as an artist, teacher, and art dealer, his penchant for ostentatious living forced him to declare bankruptcy in 1656. An inventory of his collection of art and antiquities, taken before an auction to pay off his debts, showed the breadth of Rembrandt's interests: ancient sculpture, Flemish and Italian Renaissance paintings, Far Eastern art, contemporary Dutch works, weapons, and armour. Unfortunately, the results of the auction - including the sale of his house - were disappointing.

Surprisingly these problems seemed not to have affected Rembrandt's work, and, if anything, his artistry increased. It was during this period that he created some of his greatest paintings, such as The Jewish Bride (1665), The Syndics of the Cloth Guild (1661, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam), Bathsheba (1654, Musée du Louvre, Paris), Jacob Blessing the Sons of Joseph (1656, Staatliche Gemäldegalerie, Kassel, Germany), and a self-portrait (1658, The Frick Collection, New York).

His personal life, however, continued to be marred by tragedy. His beloved Hendrickje died in 1663, and his son, Titus, in 1668, aged 27 years of age. Rembrandt died in Amsterdam 11 months later, on October 4, 1669.

Rembrandt experts generally agree that Rembrandt produced some 600 paintings, 1,400 drawings and 300 etchings during his lifetime.

Unlike most of the Great Masters, such as Raphael (Raphael Sanzio, Italian, 1483-1520), Michelangelo (Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, Italian, 1475-1564) and Rubens (Sir Peter Paul Rubens, Flemish, 1577-1640), Rembrandt executed relatively few preparatory studies for his paintings and very few finished drawings. Furthermore, the vast majority of his drawings are unsigned – to date, only about 25 works bearing his signature have been discovered. Misled by their simplicity, everyday subject matter, rapid style and lack of signature, it is believed that many authentic works have understandably been wrongly attributed or discarded in the past.

Rembrandt is the greatest artist of the Dutch school and one of the most important artists in the tradition of western European art. His paintings are characterized by luxuriant brushwork, rich colour, and a mastery in the use of light and shadow (chiaroscuro). The psychological depth of his portraits and self-portraits is profound, his interpretations of the Bible remain unique, and his drawings constitute a vivid record of 17th century Dutch life.