Fine Canvas Art Blog

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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The Night Watch by Rembrandt, 1642

Paintings (Reproductions) / Rembrandt - 2 years 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.

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.