Rembrandt - everything you need to know about the famous Dutch artist. rembrandt paintings

Creation Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn(1606-1669) marks the highest flowering Dutch art XVII century and one of the pinnacles of world art in general. Democratic and truly humane, imbued with ardent faith in the triumph of just principles in life, it embodied the most advanced and life-affirming ideas of its time. The artist raised fine art to a new level, enriching it with unprecedented vitality and psychological depth. Rembrandt created a new pictorial language in which leading role finely developed techniques of chiaroscuro and rich, emotionally intense coloring were played. From now on, the spiritual life of a person has become accessible to depiction by means of realistic art.

Rembrandt was an innovator in many genres. As a portrait painter, he was the creator of a peculiar genre of portrait-biography, where long life man and his inner world were revealed in all their complexity and inconsistency. As a historical painter, he transformed the distant antique and biblical legends in warm high humanism a story about real earth human feelings oh and relationships.

The middle of the 1630s was the time when Rembrandt was closest to the pan-European baroque style, lush and noisy, saturated with theatrical pathos and violent movement, contrasts of light and shadow, contradictory neighborhood of naturalistic and decorative moments, sensuality and cruelty.

AT baroque period written "Descent from the Cross"(1634). The picture illustrates the Gospel legend about how Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus and Other disciples and relatives of Christ, having received Pilate's permission, removed the body of Christ at night, wrapped it in a rich shroud and buried it.

The legend is told by Rembrandt with amazing truth of life. tragic death teacher and son plunged the participants of the event into deep grief. The artist peers into faces, trying to penetrate into the souls of people, to read the reaction of everyone to what is happening. He excitedly conveys the fainting of Mary, the mother of Christ, the weeping and groaning of women, the suffering and sorrow of men, the fear and curiosity of adolescents.

In this work, Rembrandt built on the well-known Rubens painting of the same name, using individual compositional motifs of the great Fleming and trying to surpass him in expression. mental movements heroes.

Other important achievement this picture, along with the individualization of the feelings of the characters, was the use of light to achieve integrity multi-figured composition. The three main moments of the legend - the descent from the cross, the swoon of Mary and the spreading of the shroud - are illuminated by three different sources of light, the intensity of which decreases in accordance with the decrease in the significance of the scene.

The beginning of a new period in life and creative activity the master was marked by two important events that occurred in 1642: the untimely death of Saskia, his beloved wife, who left him a one-year-old son, and the creation of the painting "Night Watch" - a large group portrait of the Amsterdam shooters, himself famous work masters.

A family tragedy and the completion of a responsible commission confronted Rembrandt with complex personal and creative life. The artist emerges from this crisis mature and wise. His art becomes more serious, more collected and deeper, and most importantly, an interest in the inner life of a person, in what is happening in his soul, becomes more and more clearly visible in him.

In close connection with the evolution of Rembrandt's work in the 1640s, one of the major works artist - "Danae", although the picture is dated 1636. Rembrandt was inspired by his first love, Saskia, to create the image of Danae, the legendary Greek princess imprisoned by her father in order to avoid the death predicted for him at the hands of her grandson. But ten years later, as shown latest research, the artist, dissatisfied with the initial decision, significantly reworks the image of the main character. He apparently served as the model for the final version of the painting, Gertier Dirks, a young widow who settled in Rembrandt's house after the death of Saskia, first as a nanny to the one-year-old Titus, and then as a full mistress. Thus, the head, right hand and, to a large extent, the body of Danae, waiting in her dungeon for her lover (according to legend, Zeus, who fell in love with Danae, entered her in the form of golden rain), as well as the figure of the old servant woman, turned out to be painted anew, in a bold, broad manner. middle and second half of the 1640s. Almost all other details of the picture remained the same as they were written in 1636, a neat, drawing stroke characteristic of the previous period.

The coloring of the painting has also undergone significant changes. The original version was dominated by cold tones typical of the mid-1630s. Replacing the golden rain of the first version with golden light, as if foreshadowing the appearance of a god in love, Rembrandt now performs the central part of the picture in a warm tone with golden ocher and red cinnabar as dominants.

In the second version, that is, in 1646-1647, Danaë also received an in-depth psychological characterization, thanks to which the secret inner world of a woman was revealed, all the complex and contradictory range of her feelings and experiences. "Danae", thus, is a visual specific example the formation of the famous Rembrandtian psychologism.

The work of Rembrandt in the 1650s is marked primarily by achievements in the field of portraiture. Outwardly, portraits of this period differ, as a rule, big size, monumental forms. calm postures. Models usually sit in deep chairs with their hands on their knees and facing straight towards the viewer. The light highlights the face and hands. These are always elderly people, wise by a long life experience - old men and old women with the seal of sad thoughts on their faces and hard work on their hands. Such models gave the artist brilliant opportunities to show not only the external signs of old age, but also the spiritual image of a person. In the Hermitage collection, these works are well represented by non-commissioned portraits:

"The Old Man in Red", "Portrait of an Old Woman" and "Portrait of an Old Jew".

We do not know the name of the person who served as a model for the portrait. "The Old Man in Red" Rembrandt painted him twice: in a portrait of 1652 (National Gallery, London), he is depicted sitting in an armchair with armrests, in deep thought bowed his head to right hand; the Hermitage version interprets the same subject- man alone with your thoughts. This time the artist uses a strictly symmetrical composition, depicting an old man sitting motionless in front. But the more noticeable is the movement of thought, the barely perceptible change in facial expression: it seems either stern, then softer, then tired, then suddenly illumined by the tide inner strength and energy. The same thing happens with the hands: they seem either convulsively compressed, or lying exhausted. The artist achieves this primarily through the brilliant mastery of chiaroscuro, which, depending on its strength and contrast, introduces an elegiac relaxation or dramatic tension into the image. The manner in which paint is applied to the canvas also plays a huge role. The old man's wrinkled face and knotty, overworked hands acquire artistic expressiveness thanks to the viscous mess of colors, in which intertwining bold strokes convey the structure of the form, and thin glazes give it movement and life.

The nameless old man in red, with emphasized dignity, fortitude and nobility, became an expression of the new ethical position of the artist, who discovered that the value of a person does not depend on official position person in society.

By the mid-1660s, Rembrandt completes his most penetrating work - "Return prodigal son». It can be seen as a testament of Rembrandt the man and Rembrandt the artist. It is here that the idea of ​​all-forgiving love for a person, for the humiliated and suffering - an idea that Rembrandt served all his life - finds the highest, most perfect embodiment. And it is in this work that we meet with all the richness and variety of pictorial and technical techniques that the artist has developed over many decades of creativity.

Ragged, exhausted and sick, having squandered his fortune and abandoned by friends, the son appears on the threshold of his father's house and here, in the arms of his father, he finds forgiveness and consolation. The immeasurable bright joy of these two - an old man who has lost all hope of meeting his son, and a son seized with shame and remorse, hiding his face on his father's chest - is the main emotional content of the work. Silently, shocked, the involuntary witnesses of this scene froze.

The artist limits himself to the utmost in color. The picture is dominated by golden-ocher, cinnamon-red and black-brown tones with an infinite richness of the finest transitions within this stingy gamut. A brush, a spatula, and a brush handle are involved in applying paints to the canvas; but this also seems insufficient to Rembrandt - he applies paint to the canvas directly with his finger (for example, the heel of the left foot of the prodigal son is written like this). Thanks to a variety of techniques, an increased vibration of the colorful surface is achieved - paints either burn, then sparkle, then smolder deafly, or seem to glow from the inside, and not a single detail, not a single, even the most insignificant, corner of the canvas leaves the viewer indifferent.

Only wise life experience a man and a great one who has done big way the artist could create this ingenious and simple work.

"Flora" (1641, Dresden)

The Parable of the Rich Man (1627, Berlin)

Return of Judas 30 pieces of silver (1629, private collection)

Self-portrait (1629, Boston)

Jeremiah laments the destruction of Jerusalem (1630, Amsterdam)

Portrait of a scientist (1631, Hermitage)

Anna the prophetess (1631, Amsterdam)

Apostle Peter (1631, Israel)

Storm on the Sea of ​​Galilee (1663, Boston)

Self-portrait with Saskia (1635, Dresden)

Feast of Belshazzar (1638, London)

Preacher and his wife (1641, Berlin)

"Saskia in a red hat" (1633/1634, Kassel)

Stone Bridge (1638, Amsterdam)

Portrait of Maria Trip (1639, Amsterdam)

Sacrifice of Manoy (1641, Dresden)

Girl (1641, Warsaw)

Night Watch (1642, Amsterdam)

holy family(1645, Hermitage)

Flora (1654, New York)

The Return of the Prodigal Son (c. 1666-69, Hermitage)

Saskia (1643, Berlin)

The conspiracy of Julius Civilis (1661, Stockholm)

Young woman trying on earrings (1654, Hermitage)

Syndics (1662, Amsterdam)

Jewish bride (1665, Amsterdam)

Portrait of Maertena Soolmansa (1634, private collection)

Allegory of music. 1626. Amsterdam.

self-portrait
Martin Loten
man in oriental clothes

Portrait of Hendrickje Stofells

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self-portrait
Tobit suspecting his wife of stealing. 1626. Amsterdam.
Valaam's donkey. 1626. Paris.
Samson and Delilah. 1628. Berlin.
Young Saxia. 1633. Dresden.
Saxia van Uylenburgh. 1634. Amsterdam.
Portrait of Jan Utenbogart. 1634. Amsterdam.
Flora. 1633-34. Hermitage. St. Petersburg.
The Abduction of Ganymede. 1635. Dresden.
Blinding of Samson.1636.Frankfurt am Main. Abraham's sacrifice. 1635. Hermitage. St. Petersburg
Andromeda.1630-1640. Hague.
David and Jonophan.1642. Hermitage. St. Petersburg.
Mill. 1645. Washington.
Still life with a peacock. 1640s. Amsterdam.
Portrait of an old warrior. 1632-34. Los Angeles.
Susanna and the Elders. 1647. Berlin-Dahlem.
The man in the golden helmet. 1650. Berlin-Dahlem.
Aristotle with a bust of Homer. 1653. New York.
Bathsheba. 1654. Louvre. Paris.
Portrait of Jan Sixt. 1654. Amsterdam.
Joseph's accusation. 1655. Washington.
Hendrikje entering the river. 1654. London.
Blessing of Jacob.1656. Kassel.
Renunciation of the Apostle Peter. 1660. Amsterdam.
Hendrikje at the window.1656-57. Berlin.
Evangelist Matthew and an angel. 1663. Louvre. Paris.
Frederic Riel on horseback. 1663. London.
Portrait of an old woman. 1654. Hermitage. Svnkt-Petersburg.
Batavian conspiracy. 1661-62. Stockholm.
Portrait of Jeremiah Dekker.1666. Hermitage. St. Petersburg.
Self-portrait.1661. Amsterdam. Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn(Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn) (1606-1669), Dutch painter, draftsman and etcher. The work of Rembrandt, imbued with the desire for a deeply philosophical comprehension of life, inner peace man with all the richness of his spiritual experiences, marks the pinnacle of the development of the Dutch art XVII century, one of the peaks of world artistic culture. Artistic heritage Rembrandt is distinguished by exceptional diversity: he painted portraits, still lifes, landscapes, genre scenes, paintings on historical, biblical, mythological themes, Rembrandt was consummate master drawing and etching. After a short study at the University of Leiden (1620), Rembrandt decided to devote himself to art and studied painting with J. van Swanenbürch in Leiden (circa 1620-1623) and P. Lastman in Amsterdam (1623); in 1625-1631 he worked in Leiden. Rembrandt's paintings of the Leiden period are marked by a search for creative independence, although they still show the influence of Lastman and the masters of Dutch caravagism (“Bringing to the Temple”, about 1628-1629, Kunsthalle, Hamburg). In the paintings “The Apostle Paul” (circa 1629-1630, National Museum, Nuremberg) and “Simeon in the Temple” (1631, Mauritshuis, The Hague), he first used chiaroscuro as a means of enhancing the spirituality and emotional expressiveness of images. In the same years, Rembrandt worked hard on the portrait, studying facial expressions. human face. In 1632, Rembrandt moved to Amsterdam, where he soon married the wealthy patrician Saskia van Uylenburgh. 1630s - period family happiness and the enormous artistic success of Rembrandt. The painting “The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp” (1632, Mauritshuis, The Hague), in which the artist innovatively solved the problem of a group portrait, giving the composition a life of ease and uniting the portrayed single action brought Rembrandt fame. In portraits painted by numerous orders, Rembrandt van Rijn carefully conveyed facial features, clothes, jewelry (painting “Portrait of a Burgrave”, 1636, Dresden Gallery).

But freer and more diverse in composition are Rembrandt's self-portraits and portraits of people close to him, in which the artist boldly experimented in search of psychological expressiveness (self-portrait, 1634, Louvre, Paris; Smiling Saskia, 1633, Picture gallery, Dresden). The search for this period was completed by the famous “Self-Portrait with Saskia” or “Merry Society”; circa 1635, Art Gallery, Dresden), boldly breaking with artistic canons, distinguished by the lively immediacy of the composition, the free manner of painting, the major, filled with light, colorful range.

Biblical compositions of the 1630s (“The Sacrifice of Abraham”, 1635, State Hermitage, St. Petersburg) bear the stamp of the influence of Italian baroque painting, which manifests itself in a somewhat forced dynamics of the composition, sharpness of angles, light and shade contrasts. A special place in Rembrandt's work of the 1630s is occupied by mythological scenes in which the artist boldly challenged classical canons and traditions (“The Abduction of Ganymede”, 1635, Art Gallery, Dresden).

Bright incarnation aesthetic views the monumental composition “Danae” (1636-1647, State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg), in which he seemed to enter into a controversy with the great masters of the Renaissance, became the artist: the naked figure of Danae, far from classical ideals, he executed with bold realistic immediacy, and sensuous-bodily, perfect beauty images Italian masters contrasted the beauty of spirituality and the warmth of human feeling. In the same period, Rembrandt worked a lot in the technique of etching and engraving (Manneken Pis, 1631; Rat Poison Seller, 1632; Traveling Couple, 1634), creating bold and generalized pencil drawings.

In the 1640s, a conflict was brewing between Rembrandt's work and the limited aesthetic demands of contemporary society. It clearly manifested itself in 1642, when the painting “Night Watch” (Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam) provoked protests from customers who did not accept the master’s main idea - instead of the traditional group portrait, he created a heroically elevated composition with a scene of the performance of the guild of shooters on an alarm, i.e. . essentially a historical picture that evokes memories of the liberation struggle of the Dutch people. The influx of orders from Rembrandt is declining, his life circumstances overshadowed by the death of Saskia. Rembrandt's work is losing its external showiness and the notes of major inherent in it earlier. He paints calm, warm and intimate biblical and genre scenes, revealing the subtle nuances of human experiences, feelings of spiritual, family closeness (“David and Jonathan”, 1642, “The Holy Family”, 1645, both in the Hermitage, St. Petersburg).

The finest chiaroscuro play, which creates a special, dramatic, emotionally intense atmosphere, is becoming increasingly important both in painting and in Rembrandt’s graphics (the monumental graphic sheet “Christ Healing the Sick” or “Leaf of a Hundred Guilders”, circa 1642-1646; full of air and light dynamics landscape “Three Trees”, etching, 1643). The 1650s, filled with difficult life trials for Rembrandt, open the period of the artist's creative maturity. Rembrandt is increasingly turning to the portrait genre, depicting the people closest to him (numerous portraits of Rembrandt's second wife Hendrickje Stoffels; "Portrait of an Old Woman", 1654, State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg; "Son Titus Reading", 1657, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna ).

More and more artists are attracted to images ordinary people, old people who serve as the embodiment of life wisdom and spiritual wealth(the so-called “Portrait of the Artist’s Brother’s Wife”, 1654, State Museum fine arts, Moscow; “Portrait of an old man in red”, 1652-1654, Hermitage, St. Petersburg). Rembrandt focuses on the face and hands, snatched out of the darkness by soft diffused light, the subtle facial expressions reflect the complex movement of thoughts and feelings; sometimes light, sometimes pasty brush strokes create the surface of the picture, iridescent with colorful and light and shade shades.

In the mid-1650s, Rembrandt acquired a mature painting skill. The elements of light and color, independent and even partly opposite in early work artist, now merge into a single interconnected whole. The hot red-brown, now flashing, now fading, quivering mass of luminous paint enhances the emotional expressiveness of Rembrandt's works, as if warming them with a warm human feeling. In 1656, Rembrandt was declared bankrupt, all his property was sold at auction. He moved to the Jewish quarter of Amsterdam, where he spent the rest of his life in extremely cramped circumstances. Biblical compositions created by Rembrandt in the 1660s sum up his reflections on meaning human life. In episodes expressing the clash of dark and light in human soul(“Assur, Haman and Esther”, 1660, Pushkin Museum, Moscow; “The Fall of Haman” or “David and Uriah”, 1665, State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg), rich warm scale, flexible impasto brushwork, intense play of shadow and light , the complex texture of the colorful surface serves to reveal complex conflicts and emotional experiences, to affirm the triumph of good over evil.

Severe drama and heroism imbued historical picture“The Conspiracy of Julius Civilis” (“The Conspiracy of the Batavians”, 1661, fragment preserved, National Museum, Stockholm). In the last year of his life, Rembrandt created his main masterpiece - the monumental painting "The Return of the Prodigal Son" (circa 1668-1669, State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg), which embodied all the artistic and moral and ethical problems of the artist's late work. With amazing skill, he recreates in him a whole range of complex and deep human feelings, subjugates artistic means revealing the beauty of human understanding, compassion and forgiveness. Climax the transition from the tension of feelings to the resolution of passions is embodied in sculpturally expressive poses, mean gestures, in the emotional structure of color that flashes brightly in the center of the picture and fades away in the shaded background space. The great Dutch painter, draftsman and etcher Rembrandt van Rijn died on October 4, 1669 in Amsterdam. The influence of Rembrandt's art was enormous. It affected the work not only of his direct students, of whom Karel Fabritius came closest to understanding the teacher, but also on the art of every more or less significant Dutch artist. The art of Rembrandt had a profound impact on the development of all world realistic art subsequently.

Majority female images on the canvases of Rembrandt of the period 1934-1942 are written from the beloved wife of the artist Saskia van Uilenbürch. In the image of the ancient goddess of spring Flora, the master portrayed Saskia three times - the portrait we are considering was created in the year of their wedding - it can be seen with the naked eye that Rembrandt idolized his wife, admired her and put all his tenderness into the picturesque creation.

Saskia was 22 years old at the time of her marriage, at the age of 17 she remained an orphan. A chance brought her to her future husband - she came to Amsterdam to visit her cousin, the wife of the preacher Johann Cornelis Silvius, who was familiar with Rembrandt. The wedding took place on June 10, 1634. In 1942 - just a year after the birth of the long-awaited son Titus - Saskia died.

Flora-Saskia is the embodiment of youth, freshness and chastity, there is so much charming shyness and girlish freshness in her appearance. Rembrandt skillfully combined pastoral and historical portrait. Of the three Flores painted from his wife (the other two paintings were created in 1935 and 1941), the first one most of all refers to antiquity, the other two portraits hint at the myth only in barely noticeable details.

2. "Danae" (1633-1647). Hermitage, St. Petersburg

Even if you know nothing about Rembrandt and are not interested in painting at all, this picture is definitely familiar to you. The canvas, stored in the St. Petersburg Hermitage, was almost irretrievably lost in 1985 due to a vandal who doused it with sulfuric acid and then cut the canvas with a knife.
The painting, which depicts a naked girl lying on a bed in the rays of unearthly light, was written by Rembrandt for his home - the well-known ancient greek myth about the beautiful Danae, the future mother of the winner Medusa Perseus, and Zeus the Thunderer. The very appearance of Danae posed a riddle to researchers of creativity, which they managed to solve quite recently: it is known that Rembrandt's model was his wife Saskia van Uilenbürch, but the Danae that has come down to us is not at all like the artist's wife. An x-ray study of the canvas showed that Rembrandt partially rewrote Danae's face after the death of his wife - and made it look like the face of his second lover, the nanny of his son Titus Gertier Dirks. Cupid hovering over Danae also initially looked different - winged god laughed, and final version suffering was frozen on his face.
After the attack on the painting in 1985, it took 12 years to restore it. The loss of painting was 27%, Rembrandt's masterpiece was being restored the best masters However, there were no guarantees of success. Fortunately, the canvas still managed to be saved, now the picture is reliably protected by armored glass.

3. "Night watch", (1642). Rijksmuseum - National Museum of Amsterdam

The colossal, almost four-meter canvas became truly fatal in the career of its creator. The correct name of the painting is "Speech of the Rifle Company of Captain Frans Banning Cock and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburg". She became the "Night Watch" after she, forgotten for two centuries, was discovered by art historians. It was decided that the painting depicts musketeers during a night service - and only after restoration it turned out that a completely different original color is hidden under a layer of soot - the shadows speak eloquently about this - the action on the canvas takes place around 2 o'clock in the afternoon.
The work was commissioned to Rembrandt by the Shooting Society, a detachment of the civil militia of the Netherlands. A group portrait of six companies was supposed to decorate the new building of the society - Rembrandt was asked to paint the rifle company of Captain Frans Banning Cock. A traditional formal portrait was expected from the artist - all the characters in a row - however, he decided to depict the musketeers in motion. The bold composition, where each figure is as dynamic as possible, did not find understanding with the customer - the dissatisfaction was caused by the fact that one of the images was clearly visible, and someone was in the background. "Night Watch" literally broke Rembrandt's career - it was after this picture that the constant rich clients turned away from the painter, and the manner of his writing changed dramatically.
By the way, the fate of this canvas is no less tragic than that of Danae. To begin with, at least with the fact that in the 18th century it was completely barbarously cut off to fit in new hall Shooting Society. So the musketeers Jacob Dirksen de Rooy and Jan Brugman disappeared from the picture. Fortunately, a copy of the original canvas has been preserved. "Night Watch" three times survived the attack of vandals: the first time a large piece of canvas was cut out, the second time the painting was stabbed 10 times, and the third time it was doused with sulfuric acid.
Now the canvas is stored in the Rijksmuseum - the National Museum of Amsterdam. You can look at this picture for many hours - all the characters are written in such detail on a huge canvas, both "custom-made" (actually, musketeers - there are 18 of them), and added by Rembrandt at his own discretion (16 figures, the most mysterious - a little girl in the place of the "golden section" of the picture)

4. "The Prodigal Son in the Tavern" (1635 (1635). Dresden Gallery

This self-portrait of the artist with his beloved wife Saskia on his knees is kept in the Old Masters Gallery in Dresden (aka the Dresden Gallery). There is no doubt that the artist painted this picture, being absolutely happy. It was during this period of life that Rembrandt worked hard and fruitfully, was popular, received high fees for his work, among his customers were famous and wealthy people. The master reworked the plot from the Gospel of Luke in the spirit of the times - the prodigal son is dressed in a camisole and a wide-brimmed hat with a feather, the harlot on his knees is also dressed in the fashion of that time. By the way, this is the only self-portrait of the artist with his wife - another image of himself and Saskia in the same picturesque space Rembrandt made in the engraving technique in 1638. Despite the general cheerful tone of the picture, the author did not forget to remind you that sooner or later you will have to pay for everything in this life - the slate in the background speaks eloquently about this, where the revelers will be billed very soon. Could Rembrandt have guessed how big his own payback for talent would be?

5. "The Return of the Prodigal Son" (1666-1669). State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg

This is the largest painting by Rembrandt on a religious theme. The semantic center of the picture is strongly shifted to the side, the main figures are highlighted with light, the rest of the characters are covered with a shadow, which makes it impossible to make a mistake when reading the image. By the way, all Rembrandt's paintings are united by one important detail- with the general clarity of the main plot, in each picture there are riddles that art historians are unable to solve. Like the girl from The Night's Watch, The Return of the Prodigal Son has characters shrouded in mystery. There are four of them - someone conditionally calls them "brothers and sisters" of the protagonist. Some researchers interpret female figure behind the column as a second, obedient son - although traditionally this role is assigned to a man in the foreground. This man, bearded, with a staff in his hands, raises no less questions - in the Gospel of Luke, the dean ran to meet his prodigal relative right from the field, and here it is rather a noble wanderer, perhaps even the Eternal Jew. By the way, it is possible that Rembrandt portrayed himself in this way - self-portraits, as you know, are not uncommon in his paintings.

On July 15, 1606, the greatest Dutch painter Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was born.
Future reformer visual arts was born into a wealthy miller's family in Leiden. boy with early childhood showed interest in painting, so at the age of 13 he was apprenticed to the Leiden artist Jacob van Swanenbürch. Later, Rembrandt studied with the Amsterdam painter Pieter Lastman, who specialized in historical, mythological and biblical subjects.

Already in 1627, Rembrandt managed, together with his friend Jan Lievens, to open his own workshop - the young painter, who was barely 20 years old, began to recruit students himself.

Already in the early works of Rembrandt, a special pictorial style is beginning to take shape - the artist seeks to write out his characters as emotionally as possible, literally every centimeter of the canvas is filled with drama. At the very beginning of the journey, the future unsurpassed master of working with chiaroscuro realized the power of this technique for conveying emotions.

In 1631, Rembrandt moved to Amsterdam, where he was extremely enthusiastically received, art connoisseurs compared the young artist’s painting style with the works of Rubens himself - by the way, Rembrandt was happy to focus on much of the aesthetics of this artist.

The period of work in the Dutch capital has become a landmark for the portrait genre in Rembrandt's work - it is here that the master paints many studies of female and male heads, carefully working out every detail, comprehending all the subtleties of facial expressions of a human face. The artist paints wealthy citizens - his fame spreads quickly and becomes the key to commercial success - and also works a lot on self-portraits.

The fate of Rembrandt - both personal and creative - was not easy. Early favored by fame and success, the talented painter also suddenly lost wealthy clients who failed to realize the revolutionary courage of his work. The legacy of Rembrandt was truly appreciated only two centuries later - in the 19th century, realist artists were inspired precisely by the canvases of this master, one of the brightest representatives of the golden age of Dutch painting.

Self-portrait at the age of 54 - Rembrandt. 1660. Oil on canvas. 80.3x67.3. Metropolitan Museum

Why is Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn famous? Everyone should know his name educated person. This is a gifted Dutch artist, engraver, unsurpassed master of chiaroscuro, one of the largest representatives of the Golden Age - great era Dutch painting which took place in the 17th century. The article will tell about the life and work of this gifted person.

The beginning of the way

Rembrandt van Rijn came into this world in July 1606. He was born into the family of a wealthy miller. He was the ninth child, the youngest in the family. His parents were enlightened people. They noticed early on that the boy was gifted by nature with intelligence and talent, and instead of handicraft, they decided to send him "to science." So Rembrandt got into a Latin school, where he studied writing, reading, and studied the Bible. At the age of 14, he successfully completed school and became a student at the University of Leiden, which at that time was famous throughout Europe. Best of all, the young man was given painting, and again, his parents showed wisdom and foresight. They took their son from the university and gave him as an apprentice to the artist Jacob Isaac Swanenbürch. Three years later, Rembrandt van Rijn was so successful in drawing and painting that Peter Lastman himself, who headed the Amsterdam school of painting, took up the development of his talent.

Influence of authorities

The early work of Rembrandt van Rijn was formed under the influence of such authorities as the Dutch master of painting Peter Lastman, the German artist Adam Elsheimer, the Dutch artist Jan Lievens.

The variegation, brilliance and attention to detail inherent in Lastman are clearly visible in such works by Rembrandt as "The Stoning of St. Stephen", "The Baptism of a Eunuch", "Scene from ancient history", "David before Saul", "Allegory of Music".

Jan Lievens - a friend of Rembrandt, worked side by side with him in a common studio from 1626 to 1631. Their works have much in common, and the styles are so similar that even experienced art critics often confuse the hands of the masters.

The hero of our article was guided by Adam Elsheimer, comprehending the meaning of chiaroscuro for conveying mood and emotions on canvas. The influence of the German painter is clearly seen in the works "The Parable of the Foolish Rich Man", "Christ at Emmaus", "Simeon and Anna in the Temple".

Manifestation of individuality. Success

In 1630, Harmen van Rijn died, his property was divided among themselves by the elder brothers of Rembrandt. The young artist worked for some time in the workshop in his father's house, but in 1631 he left to seek his fortune in Amsterdam.

In the capital of the kingdom, he organized a workshop and began to specialize in portrait art. The skillful use of chiaroscuro, the characteristic facial expressions, the originality of each model - all this characterized the formation of a special style of the artist. Rembrandt van Rijn began to receive massive orders and achieved commercial success.

In 1632 he received a commission for a group portrait. As a result, the creation "The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulpa" saw the light of day. brilliant work, for which Rembrandt received a large fee, not only glorified him, but also finally confirmed the creative maturity of the artist.

Muse

During a social visit, the fashionable young artist is introduced to the daughter of the burgomaster of the city, Saskia. Not so much the girl’s external data (she was not known as a beauty, although she was pretty and cheerful), but her solid dowry attracted Rembrandt, and six months after they met, the young people got engaged, and a year later they were legally married. Marriage allowed the hero of our article to enter the highest circles of society.

The newlyweds lived well. Rembrandt van Rijn painted many portraits of his wife, including her posing for him when creating the masterpiece Danae. His income at that time was colossal. He bought a mansion in the most prestigious area of ​​Amsterdam, furnished it with chic furniture, created an impressive collection of works of art.

Four children were born in the marriage, but only younger son Titus was born in 1641. In 1642, Saskia died of an illness. She seems to have taken the master's luck with her.

The fading of glory. Life's hardships

Since 1642, the artist has been pursued bad rock. Rembrandt van Rijn reaches the peak of his talent. His canvases, however, are becoming less and less popular, he is gradually losing customers and students. In part, biographers explain this by the waywardness of the master: he categorically refuses to be led by customers and creates as his heart tells him. The second reason for the fading of the glory of the great painter is called, oddly enough, his skill and virtuosity, which the inhabitants could not understand and appreciate.

Rembrandt's life is changing: he is gradually impoverished, moving from a luxurious mansion to a modest house on the outskirts of the city. But he continues to spend huge sums on works of art, which leads to his complete bankruptcy. Financial matters are taken over by the grown-up son Titus and Hendrikje, Rembrandt's mistress, from whom his daughter Cornelia was born.

"Company of Captain Frans Baning Kok" - a 4-meter canvas, the largest painting by the master, "Bathing Woman", "Flora", "Titus in a Red Beret", "Adoration of the Shepherds" - these are the works of the master, written by him in a difficult period of his life .

Later creations

AT last years life of Rembrandt van Rijn, whose biography is set out in the article, reached the heights of his work. He was two centuries ahead of his contemporaries and predicted the development of art in the 19th century in the era of realism and impressionism. hallmark his late works is monumentalism, large-sized compositions and clarity of images. The paintings "Aristotle with the Bust of Homer" and "The Conspiracy of Julius Civilis" are especially characteristic in this respect. The canvases "The Return of the Prodigal Son", "Artaxerxes, Haman and Esther" and "The Jewish Bride" are permeated with deep drama. Many self-portraits were painted by the master in the last years of his life.

Rembrandt van Rijn, whose paintings are true masterpieces of art, died in poverty in 1969. He was quietly buried in the Amsterdam Westerkerk church. It was only appreciated a few centuries later.

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn: Paintings of a Genius

For your short journey on Earth, Rembrandt painted about 600 paintings, created about 300 etchings (engravings on metal) and almost 1,500 drawings. Most of his work is kept in the Rijksmuseum - Art Museum Amsterdam. His most famous paintings:

• "The Anatomy Lesson" (1632).
• "Self-portrait with Saskia" (1635).
• "Danae" (1636).
• "Night Watch" (1642).
• "The Return of the Prodigal Son (166(7?)).

Rembrandt is one of the greatest artists in history. repeat it characteristic style so far no one has succeeded. gifted and talented son The miller left behind an invaluable legacy - masterpieces of world art.

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was born in the Dutch city of Leiden in 1606 on July 15. Rembrandt's father was a wealthy miller, his mother baked well, was the daughter of a baker. The surname "van Rijn" literally means "from the Rhine", that is, from the Rhine River, where Rembrandt's great-grandfathers had mills. Of the 10 children in the family, Rembrandt was the youngest. Other children followed in the footsteps of their parents, and Rembrandt chose a different path - an artistic one, and was educated at a Latin school.

At the age of 13, Rembrandt began to learn to draw, and also entered the city university. Age then did not bother anyone, the main thing at that time was knowledge at the level. Many scholars suggest that Rembrandt went to university not to study, but to get a deferment from the army.

Rembrandt's first teacher was Jacob van Swanenbürch.. In his workshop future artist spent about three years, then moved to Amsterdam to study with Peter Lastman. From 1625 to 1626 Rembrandt returned to his native city, and made acquaintances with artists, and some of Lastman's students.

Nevertheless, after much deliberation, Rembrandt decided that an artist's career should be done in the capital of Holland, and again moved to Amsterdam.

In 1634 Rembrandt married Saskia. By the time of their marriage, everyone had a good fortune (Rembrandt had paintings, and Saskia's parents left an impressive legacy). So it wasn't an arranged marriage. They truly loved each other passionately.

In 1635 - 1640s. wife bore Rembrandt three children, but they all died as newborns. In 1641, Saskia gave birth to a son, who was named Titus. The child survived, but, unfortunately, the mother herself died at the age of 29.

After the death of his wife, Rembrandt was not himself, he did not know what to do, and found solace in drawing. It was in the year when his wife died that he completed the painting "Night Watch". With Titus, the young father could not cope and therefore hired a nanny for the child - Gertje Dirks, who became his mistress. About 2 years have passed, and the nanny in the house has changed. She became a young girl Hendrikje Stoffels. What happened to Gertier Dirks? She sued Rembrandt, believing that he violated the marriage contract, but she lost the argument, and was sent to a correctional home, where she spent 5 years. Released, she died a year later.

The new nanny Hendrikje Stoffels bore Rembrandt two children. Their first child, a boy, died in infancy, and their daughter Karnelia, the only one who outlived her father.

Few people know that Rembrandt had a very peculiar collection, which included paintings by Italian artists, different drawings, engravings, various busts and even weapons.

Sunset of Rembrandt's life

Things were going badly for Rembrandt. There was not enough money, the number of orders decreased. Therefore, the artist sold part of his collection, but this did not save him either. He was on the verge of going to prison, but the court was in his favor, so he was allowed to sell all his property and pay off his debts. He even lived for some time in a house that no longer belonged to him.

Meanwhile, Titus and his mother organized a firm that traded in art objects in order to somehow help Rembrandt. In truth, until the end of his life, the artist never paid off many, but this did not spoil Rembrandt's reputation, he remained a worthy person in the eyes of people.

Rembrandt's death was very sad. In 1663, the artist's beloved, Hendrikje, died. Some time later, Rembrandt buried his son Titus and his bride. In 1669, on October 4, he himself left this world, but forever left a mark in the hearts of people who love him.