Fine Canvas Art Blog

A Woman Bathing

Dutch / Paintings (Reproductions) / Rembrandt - 8 months ago - troycapc

This is a reproduction of “A Woman Bathing” of 1654 by Rembrandt van Rijn.  This is probably a portrait of Hendrickje Stoffens who was the artist’s common-law wife.  She bore him a daughter in the year of this painting.  The red robe in the painting may indicate that the subject matter was originally Bathsheba or Diana.  The brushwork appears to be unusually spontaneous for Rembrandt and several sections appear to be unfinished.  Yet the artist signed the work which indicates that he considered it completed.  The masterpiece is 47 cm wide and 61.8 cm high and is in the National Gallery, London.

Reproduction for sale on Zazzle

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A Man in Armor

Dutch / Greco-Roman / Paintings (Reproductions) / Rembrandt - 8 months ago - troycapc

This is a reproduction of “A Man in Armor” of 1655 by Rembrandt van Rijn.  This later Rembrandt masterpiece is sub-titled “Alexander the Great” and was created when the artist was forty-nine.  He had been a prominent artist and member of the community in Amsterdam for twenty years.  Yet Rembrandt was approaching a financial crisis when this masterpiece was produced.  The painting shows Rembrandt’s wonderful use of light in his works with the gleam on the helmet also expressed over the heart on the breast-plate.  The red robe adds to the dramatic nature of the portrait.  This masterpiece is 137 cm wide and 104.5 cm high and is in the City Art Gallery and Museum of Glasgow, Scotland.

Reproduction for sale on Zazzle

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Self Portrait as a Young Man by Rembrandt

Dutch / Paintings (Reproductions) / Rembrandt - 9 months ago - troycapc

This is a reproduction of one of the first self-portraits that Rembrandt executed.  He was aboiut twenty-two years old wshen he created the painting.  He placed the strong light behind the figure which results in a lack of detail in the face.  The young Rembrandt was also experimenting with an unusual treatment of his hair.  The original of this masterpiece iis in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and is 18.7 cm wide and 22.6 cm high.

Reproduction for sale on Zazzle

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The Stone Bridge by Rembrandt van Rijn, ca. 1638

Dutch / Paintings (Reproductions) / Rembrandt - 12 months ago - troycapc

This is a reproduction of “The Stone Bridge” by Rembardnt van Rijn.  This is the only typically Dutch landscape executed by Rembrandt and it highlights dramatic contrasts between the sun shining on trees and a cottage in the center of the work with darkening areas in both the left foreground and the right town in the distance.  This is an early work of Rembrandt having been created when he was about thirty-two years old.  This masterpiece is in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

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Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem by Rembrandt van Rijn, 1630

Dutch / Inspirational prints / Paintings (Reproductions) / Rembrandt - 1 year ago - troycapc

This is a reproduction of Rembrandt’s Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem of 1630. It is currently in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. This is one of Rembrandt’s best works painted before he moved from Leiden to Amsterdam. This is a wonderful study of the human condition and masterfully portrays deep disappointment and sadness that often creeps to our lives

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Man in the Golden Helmet by Rembrandt van Rijn, ca. 1650

Paintings (Reproductions) / Rembrandt - 1 year ago - troycapc

This reproduction of the  famous “Man in a Golden Helmet” is stunning.  The original was created in about 1650.  It is considered one of the greatest masterpieces of western art and was very influential over Impressionist painters.  This is not a commissioned portrait but a study made up of an older man who had sat for Rembrandt before and a helmet that was in the artist’s collection.  The original is now displayed in the Gemaldengalerie in Berlin.

Rembrandt was born in 1606 Leiden and, after schooling in Latin and the Classics, he entered an apprenticeship in painting when sixteen years old.  After a brief stay in Amsterdam he returned to Leiden and opened a studio with his friend Jan Lievens; they were both nineteen.  He soon won acclaim through influential contacts and in 1630 moved to Amsterdam after the death of his father.  Four years later as a master of the Guild of St. Luke Rembrandt gathered a large number of students about his workshop.  He married that year and continued to produce masterpieces such as the Abduction of Ganymede, the Sacrifice of Isaac and the Night Watch.  His domestic tranquility was disturbed by the death of his wife in 1642 but Rembrandt continued his prodigious output.  Nevertheless Rembrandt was forced into bankruptcy in 1654 and mostly lived in seclusion until his death in 1669 though he continued to produce masterpieces.

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Head of Christ by Rembrandt van Rijn, ca. 1652

Inspirational prints / Paintings (Reproductions) / Rembrandt / Renaissance - 1 year ago - troycapc

This is a reproduction of Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rign’s “Head of Christ” of about 1652.  The master’s ability to give an earthly reality to his subject is seen plainly in this unique work.  There is tremendous kindness and sensitivity in this portrait reputedly gleaned from the face of a young Jewish man of Rembrandt’s acquaintance.  This Christ is infused with kindness, goodness and purity to an extent rarely seen elsewhere.  The original is in the Staaliche Museen Preussischer, Kulturbesitz, Gemaldegalerie, Berlin.
Rembrandt was born in 1606 Leiden and, after schooling in Latin and the Classics, he entered an apprenticeship in painting when sixteen years old.  After a brief stay in Amsterdam he returned to Leiden and opened a studio with his friend Jan Lievens; they were both nineteen.  He soon won acclaim through influential contacts and in 1630 moved to Amsterdam after the death of his father.  Four years later as a master of the Guild of St. Luke Rembrandt gathered a large number of students about his workshop.  He married that year and continued to produce masterpieces such as the Abduction of Ganymede, the Sacrifice of Isaac and the Night Watch.  His domestic tranquility was disturbed by the death of his wife in 1642 but Rembrandt continued his prodigious output.  Nevertheless Rembrandt was forced into bankruptcy in 1654 and mostly lived in seclusion until his death in 1669 though he continued to produce masterpieces, among them Return of the Prodigal Son.

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Aristotle Contemplating a Bust of Homer, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1653

Greco-Roman / Paintings (Reproductions) / Rembrandt - 1 year ago - troycapc

This wonderful work was commissioned by a noble from Sicily and Rembrandt probably executed it to relieve his sever financial straits of his later life.  Aristotle is portrayed at the high of his physical and financial success.  He is sporting a magnificant chain, the gift from Aristotle’s most prestigious pupil, Alexander the Great.

The work appears to bring to mind the quandry between the rich and the important: What matters most? How can one be certain that one is not selling out?

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The Night Watch by Rembrandt, 1642

Paintings (Reproductions) / Rembrandt - 1 year ago - troycapc

Below is a reproduction of “De Nachtwacht” by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn of 1642. This is one of the greatest paintings of all time. Its proper title is “The Company of Frans Banning Cocq and Willem van Rutenburch” and it is on display in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The painting is known for its large size, effective use of Chiaroscuro (the dramatic juxtaposition of extremities in lightness and dark) and the perception of motion that Rembrandt was able to engender within it. It was commissioned by the captain and members of a company of civic guards.  It was quite fashionable at the time for such groups to have joint portraits done.

Dimensionality

In “The Night Watch,” the visual effect is almost three dimensional as Rembrandt shows thrust and sweep in the placement of hands, arms and spears in the image. Part of the effect is due to the masterful use of Chiaroscuro. There is a popular myth that this painting had a poor reception which marked the decline in Rembrandt’s work in the 1640′s. Though there is no evidence for the story as the painting was very well received, shortly afterward Rembrandt’s work did in fact become less popular.

The Artist

Many consider Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn one of the greatest of all painters. He was born on July 15, 1606 in Leiden to a wealthy family of millers and bakers. He left University at the age of fourteen and four years later opened a school with his friend Jan Lievens. He came to the attention of Prince Frederick Hendrik in 1629 and moved to Amsterdam two years later.  From this earlier period comes his famous Abraham and Isaac of 1634.  Rembrandt soon became the most famous of all the Dutch masters and much of his popularity came from his uncanny ability to make his merchant subjects appear heroic. He gave social drama to his corporate portraits, of which “The Night Watch” is the most famous.

Decline

The decline in the artist’s fortunes could possibly be attributed to the growing simplicity of his style, or it may have been his reaction to growing criticism of his work. Newly at peace with Spain, Dutch tastes became more extravagant just when Rembrandt’s style was becoming more refined.  This can be seen in his “Head of Christ” of 1652.   He grew further out of favor and was bankrupt in 1656 after the death of his wife and three out of four of his children.

We're proud to offer a reproduction of this masterpiece online.

In Rembrandt’s last years he lived in reduced circumstances and worked as an employee of his son’s art dealership. His work for the Amsterdam City Hall, the “Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis,” was rejected in 1662.  Yet from that same year come one of his greatest works, “The Return of the Prodigal Son.” Regardless, Rembrandt was still renown throughout Europe, and Cosimo de’ Medici, grand duke of Tuscany, visited him in 1667. His son Titus died in 1668 and Rembrandt himself on October 4, 1669. He was buried in an unmarked grave.

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Return of the Prodigal Son by Rembrandt van Rijn

Paintings (Reproductions) / Rembrandt - 1 year ago - troycapc

Return of the Prodigal Son by Rembrandt, 1662

We are proud to present our reproduction of Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn’s work, “The Return of the Prodigal Son”.  This is a depiction of Jesus’ story recorded in the fifteenth chapter of the Gospel according to Luke.  This work was completed shortly before Rembrandt’s death and is currently in the Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia.

In this masterpiece, it is as though Rembrandt was giving his final word on life in this monumental painting of the Return of the Prodigal Son. He interprets the Christian idea of mercy with extraordinary solemnity and presents it as a spiritual testament to the world. It excels in evoking religious mood and human sympathy. The aged artist’s power of realism is not diminished, but increased by psychological insight and spiritual awareness. Expressive lighting and coloring and the magic suggestiveness of his technique, together with a selective simplicity of setting, help to give the full impact of the event.

The occurrence is devoid of any momentary violent emotion which raises the event to a timeless, eternal plane.  There is a solemn calm that lends to the figures some of the qualities of statues and gives the emotions a lasting character, no longer subject to the changes of time. Unforgettable is the image of the repentant sinner leaning against his father’s breast and the old father bending over his son. The father’s features tell of sublime and august goodness, as do his outstretched hands, not free from the stiffness of old age. The whole represents a symbol of all homecomings, of the bleakness of human existence illuminated by tenderness of God; of weary and sinful mankind taking refuge in the shelter of God’s mercy.

Rembrandt was born on July 15, 1606 in Leiden.  He died on October 4, 1669 at Amsterdam.  He is renown as one of the greatest painters and printmakers in the European experience and the most important in Dutch history.  His was an important contribution to the determination of the Seventeenth Century as the Dutch Golden Age.

The painting’  main group of the father and the Prodigal Son stands out in light against an enormous dark surface. Particularly vivid are the ragged garment of the son, and the old man’s sleeves, which are ochre tinged with golden olive; the ochre color combined with an intense scarlet red in the father’s cloak forms an unforgettable coloristic harmony. The observer is roused to a feeling of some extraordinary event. The son, ruined and repellent, with his shorn head and the appearance of an outcast, returns to his father’s house after long wanderings and many vicissitudes. He has wasted his heritage in foreign lands and has sunk to the condition of a swineherd. The old father, dressed in rich garments, as are the other figures, has hurried to meet him before the door and receives the long-lost son with the utmost in fatherly love.

Rembrandt early achieved success as a portrait painter, but in his later years he had personal tragedy and financial hardship. His etchings and paintings were popular throughout his lifetime and his reputation as an artist remained high throughout his life.  He taught nearly every important Dutch painter for over twenty years.  His greatest creative triumphs are exemplified especially in his portrait work of contemporaries, his self-portraits and his Biblical illustrations.  His self-portraits form a unique and intimate biography, in which the artist surveyed himself without vanity and with the utmost sincerity.

Rembrandt displayed a thorough knowledge of classical iconography, which he molded to fit the requirements of his own experience; thus, the depiction of a biblical scene was informed by Rembrandt’s knowledge of the specific text, his assimilation of classical composition, and his observations of Amsterdam’s Jewish population.

We offer reproductions of this masterpiece and others of similar genres in our Religious Reproductions gallery.

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