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Life

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The Life of Rembrandt

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was born on July 15, 1606 in Leiden, the Netherlands. He was the ninth child in a well-to-do family. For an education, he attended Latin school, and then the University of Leiden. In 1631, after Rembrandt had already gained a reputation for himself as an excellent painter, he moved to the city of Amsterdam. In 1634, he married a woman named Saskia van Uylenburg. The two established a moderately wealthy household, but soon, tragedy struck. Three of their four children died in early childhood, and only one, Titus, managed to survive until adulthood. Saskia herself died of TB in 1642. In the interval, Rembrandt indulged in a love affair with his son’s nurse, Geetje Dircx and eventually had to pay an alimony to her after a breach of promise. He then had a relationship with Hendrickje Stoffels. The Church to which he belonged looked down upon him and labeled him as one who lived in sin. Eventually, although he continued with art commissions, Rembrandt fell deep into debt and could hardly be shielded from creditors. He died on October 4, 1669 and was buried in an unmarked grave in Westerkerk.

“Chose only one master –nature” - Rembrandt

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The Profession of Rembrandt

Rembrandt began his profession life as an apprentice to Jacob van Swanenburgh, a history painter in Leiden. Afterwards, he enjoyed a brief but important apprenticeship to Pieter Lastman in Amsterdam. He then opened a studio in Amsterdam with his friend, Jan Lievens in 1627 and began accepting students. In 1629, he was discovered by statesman Constantijn Hyugens, who helped Rembrandt obtain commissions from the court of Hague. An especially prominent customer of Rembrandt was Prince Frederik Hendrik. In 1631, he moved into the house of painter Henrick van Uylenburg to continue his trade. In 1661, he was contracted to complete work in the newly built city hall of Amsterdam. However, his work, the Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis, was rejected. He continued commissions through the year 1662, and died in the year 1669.

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The Important WorksHere are some of Rembrandt’s magnificent paintings. Click on the thumbnails to learn more.

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This painting is titled The Ass of Balaam Talking Before the Angel. It is a historical/biblical depiction. It was painted in 1626, when Rembrandt just began his career. In those days, he often painted historical scenes, because he was apprenticed to a history painter in Leiden.

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This is a self portrait of Rembrandt, painted in 1629. Rembrandt avidly studied the human physiognomy through painting self-portraits, and through his lifetime, painted more than 100.

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This painting is The Rise of Lazarus. It symbolizes an important turning point in his life, because it was painted directly after he was officially discovered and commissioned to paint for the Court of Hague.

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This is portrait of Rembrandt’s son, Titus. Titus is shown in many of Rembrandt’s paintings, probably because he is Rembrandt’s only surviving child and therefore very dear to the painter.

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This is a self-portrait in one of the last series Rembrandt painted. The misery apparent in the expression of the portrait shows the hardships (financial or otherwise) that Rembrandt had to endure in the latter half of his life.

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Rembrandt’s TimesRembrandt’s paintings show a lot about the societal values of seventeenth century Netherlands. The Wars of Religion were still being fought, so Holland was clearly leaning towards Protestantism, in contrast to Spain, which was wildly Catholic. Many of Rembrandt’s paintings exhibit religious themes, since religion played a huge part in society of his times. Also, we see the rise of wealth of the Netherlands, as princes begin adopting the role of patrons to the arts. As localities in the Netherlands gained more autonomy and wealth, individual princes commissioned Rembrandt for different works. Finally, we see society inclining towards more self-awareness and scientific discovery. Rembrandt’s hundreds of self-portraits not only show that he is very in tune with his own existence, it also shows that he pays much attention to human anatomy and physiognomy.

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