Most of us at one time or another draw or paint a self-portrait. It's usually an assignment for first-year art students. But the master of all self-portrait artists has to be Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669). In his lifetime, he drew or painted several portraits of himself, dating back to when he was a young man to his elderly days.
Dutch artist, Rembrandt is considered one of the greatest draftsmen of all time. Born into a country that was experiencing a golden age in art, he produced over 500 paintings and 1400-2000 drawings or etchings. In fact, he created a new etching method with particular strokes in copper, which had never been used before or since.
Unlike many other artists, Rembrandt's drawings and etchings were more like a diary of thoughts or notes instead of studies for preparatory work as we saw with Seurat last month. Perhaps he used his drawings for ideas or later inspiration. I know for myself, I often draw, just to draw—a way to calm down and live in the now. Perhaps he did the same.
If you'd like to learn more about this wonderful Dutch artist, please go to http://www.rembrandtpainting.net/. In the meantime, here are some of his drawings or etchings. I love his stroke work and use of light.
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| Notice the strong hatch and contour lines. |
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| The hatch and cross-hatch are used to develop chiaroscuro |
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| The woman behind Rembrandt is believed to be his wife Saskia. She gave birth to four children with only one, named Titus, who lived. She died of TB a year after his birth. |
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| How 'bout this self expression!! |
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| What wonderful cross-hatch work! |
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| Rembrandt was rather successful until his wife died. He life and work changed from then on, eventually dying a pauper a year after his son Titus succumbed to the plague. |
Next month, I'll cover the work of painter and printmaker, Mary Cassett--contemporary of Degas.
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