Rembrandt

Rembrandt (1606-69), Dutch painter.

Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn, known simply as Rembrandt, was the greatest of all Dutch painters.

He was the son of a miller, and became an apprentice to an artist in his home town of Leyden.

Afterwards he went to live in Amsterdam and there, at the age of twenty-five, painted The Anatomy Lesson. This picture made him famous and for many years he made a rich living by painting people's portraits.

He lived in a splendid house and filled the house with beautiful things.

In 1642, he painted a picture called Parade of the Civic Guard under Captain Trans Banning Cocq. It was a large picture containing the portraits of many people. At the time, this picture was not liked, but today over half a million people go to see it every year in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

In later years, Rembrandt's fortunes changed. His wife died and he ran short of money. His house and most of his possessions were sold to pay off his debts.

As an old man, he was almost forgotten, but he still painted portraits and he taught one or two young painters.

Rembrandt's paintings include outside scenes, scenes from the Bible, and pictures of objects, and 600 of them are known to exist today. Among the most famous are Supper at Emmaus, The Mill and Self-Portrait which is in the National Gallery, London.

He also did etchings. This meant drawing on a metal plate covered with wax. Afterwards, the plate was placed in acid and the acid burned out lines where the wax was missing. Then prints were made from the plate. Three hundred of Rembrandt's etchings exist and many think he is the greatest etcher of all time.

See The Complete Etchings of Rembrandt: Reproduced in Original Size ~ Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn

Rembrandt: The Painter at Work ~ Ernst van de Wetering