Rembrandt Drawings

by Rembrandt van Rijn, Elizabeth Willems-Treeman (Translator)

English, German (translation)

256 pages, Hardcover

First published December 21, 1976

About the author

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (July 15, 1606 - October 04, 1669) was a Dutch painter and etcher.

He is generally considered one of the greatest painters and printmakers in European art history and the most important in Dutch history. His contributions to art came in a period that historians call the Dutch Golden Age.

Having achieved youthful success as a portrait painter, his later years were marked by personal tragedy and financial hardship. Yet his drawings and paintings were popular throughout his lifetime, his reputation as an artist remained high and for twenty years he taught nearly every important Dutch painter. Rembrandt's greatest creative triumphs are exemplified especially in his portraits of his contemporaries, self-portraits and illustrations of scenes from the Bible. The self-portraits form a unique and intimate biography, in which the artist surveyed himself without vanity and with the utmost sincerity.

In both painting and printmaking he exhibited a complete 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 the Jewish population of Amsterdam. Because of his empathy for the human condition, he has been called "one of the great prophets of civilization."

Reviews

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a lovely opportunity to observe Rembrandt's artistic style outside of the medium of paint. Though sketches do not capture the popular imagination so much as huge canvasses decorated with dramatic scenes of biblical myths or contemporary portraits, sketches do allow viewers to see artists as they attempt, in small and often impulsive instances, to capture little moments of their worlds and/or imaginations.

This book is not a great addition to an art library largely because its opening does little than to understand a general narrative of Rembrandt's life. Still, the sketches speak for themselves, and lovers of the man's work are sure to enjoy looking through these small works and seeing the inklings and impressions that passed through Rembrandt's eyes and imagination.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

in afwachting van een Rembrandt research project specifiek voor grafisch werk, is dit een prima overzicht, fijn om in te bladeren en naast uitgaven te leggen van grafisch werk van Michelangelo en Rubens