Rembrandt - Dutch Painting in the Golden Age - Essay Example

Rembrandt: Dutch Painting in the Golden Age One of the more famous s in art history is that ofRembrandt. Few people know his full name was Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn and even among those who recognize his first name are not fully aware of why he remains famous today. Born in the Netherlands in 1606, Rembrandt worked during what is now known as the Dutch Golden Age. In this climate, Rembrandt had the opportunity to both learn and teach many of the influential painters who would eventually become associated with the Dutch school. Most artists became specialists in a given genre during this period and Rembrandt was no exception. His specialty was in the area of portrait painting where he achieved widespread reputation. Another characteristic of Golden Age painting was a focus on realism, yet Rembrandt was renowned for the expressiveness and skill in which he seemed to capture the essence of the individual being painted. To more fully appreciate these characteristics, it is helpful to understand the changes that were taking place in the country at that time and to examine one of Rembrandt’s works such as “The Noble Slav” executed in 1632. Rembrandt was born into an unprecedented time of prosperity for his country. It was a time in which the Netherlands began to grow in economic scale thanks to a tremendous influx of wealthy merchants and tradesmen into Amsterdam following the fall of Antwerp in 1585. The city was powered by energy provided by windmills, the economy driven by the advent of sawmills and the Dutch people’s historic proficiency in maritime activities quickly enabled them to establish themselves as dominant figures in the contemporary world market. By Rembrandt’s birth in 1606, the Dutch East India Company had already emerged as the world’s first multinational corporation fully engaged in importing the exotic spices and other goods that were making the Netherlands a rich land (de Vries & van der Woude, 1997). In keeping with such dramatic change, the old rules of social status based on birth and family were giving way to a new order based on wealth and commercialism. However, it was also a society in which education and science were greatly emphasized in recognition of the source of its advances (Schama, 1987). In keeping with these ideas, cultural arts were also encouraged. Rembrandt himself was born in a town called Leiden, which is located in an area of South Holland. His birthday was July 15, 1606 and he was born into a large and wealthy family. When he was born, he already had eight brothers and sisters. Because his father was a miller and his mother was the daughter of a baker, the family would have been considered middle class (Bull, 2006: 28). However, because of their wealth and location, Rembrandt had the opportunity to grow up in a university town much like Oxford. He benefitted from a Latin education until he reached the University of Leiden. However, having always shown a preference for painting, he was soon apprenticed to a local history painter named Jacob van Swanenburgh. Van Swaneburgh was largely interested in architectural features, but gave Rembrandt his important first introduction to art as a profession (Silve, 1995). After three years, Rembrandt made an important move to Amsterdam where he worked for six months with the already famous painter Pieter Lastman. Lastman was famous because of his multifigured paintings of historical or mythological scenes and his characteristic use of vivid colors (Silve, 1995). It was sometime in 1624 or 1625 that Rembrandt moved home to open a studio of his own with his friend Jan Lievens. A few years later in 1627, he began taking on students (Silve, 1995). However, Rembrandt’s big break came in 1629 when Constantiin Huygens began arranging commissions for Rembrandt from the court of The Hague (Silve, 1995). Through this connection, Rembrandt received the patronage of Prince Frederik Hendrik, which would keep him well fed until 1646. With his prestigious patron as backup, Rembrandt made a decisive move to Amsterdam in 1631 and styled himself as a professional portraitist. Shortly after finding success in this field, he married his art dealer’s cousin, Saskia van Uylenburg, who had come from a good family but was now an orphan. He also became more involved in the community by becoming a burgess of Amsterdam, joining the local guild of painters and taking on more students (Bull, 1987). Although he enjoyed early marital and financial success, Rembrandt suffered a great deal of difficulty in his later years. His first three children died in infancy and Rembrandt had expensive habits which prevented the family from getting too far ahead financially. Shortly after the fourth child, Titus, was born in 1642, Saskia died presumably from tuberculosis (Silve, 1995). Multiple rumors existed of Rembrandt having romantic relationships with the women who kept house for him. Some of these were substantiated by lawsuits and at least one seemingly confirmed with the birth of a common daughter, Cornelia, in 1654 (Silve, 1995). By 1656, Rembrandt was broke and most of his worldly goods were sold off. His son and former brother-in-law established a business and placed him on their payroll in order to provide a means by which Rembrandt could continue painting. He continued to fulfill commissions well into the 1660s, even receiving the powerful Cosimo III de Medici in his home in 1667, yet when he died on October 4, 1669, he was buried in an unmarked grave which signaled his continued poverty (Silve, 1995). Rembrandt’s painting “The Noble Slav” was created in 1632 just before his marriage to Saskia and as his fame was beginning to grow. The painting is executed in oil on canvas measuring about 60 x 44 inches or approximately 153 x 111 cm. Converting these measurements into feet gives the American citizen a healthy respect for its impressive size at approximately 5 feet tall and 4 feet wide. Personally standing in front of this image would give one a sense of standing before the intimidating life-size form of the man himself. It would also provide the on-hand viewer a chance to examine the intricate brushwork and delicate play of light deliberately dancing on the hues employed to create the image. The subject of the painting is an elderly man elegantly dressed in the traditional clothing of the East. This was where the Netherlands had gained so much of its wealth and prestige and thus the costume itself symbolizes these ideas. However, the man within the costume does not himself appear to be from the East. His face is characteristically white European with evidence of a close-cropped white beard on his chin. Even so, he stands in a regal pose with one hand completely hidden beneath the folds of his robes. It is apparently resting on his hip because of the way his elbow is bent out to the side. The other hand rests in full sight on the top of a cane propped slightly in front of the figure. This provides a space of separation between the picture plane, the man and the viewer. Within the painting of “The Noble Slav”, one can see many of Rembrandt’s early Dutch influences. These include his use of texture to build the image, a technique gleaned from Jacob van Swanenburgh as well as the vivid use of color gained from Pieter Lastman. The painting also illustrates important elements of Dutch life at the time such as the importance of trade with the East, the exotic fabrics and costumes gained from that area of the world, the esteem with which these trade goods were held and the appearance of wealth on the white man. Other than the figure of the man and a bit of detail regarding his cane, an element that is mostly blocked from view by his exposed hand and the darkened shades destroying detail at the bottom edge of the image, there are no other recognizable features within the painting other than the background color. Despite this lack of internal context, the richness and power of the man’s image is sufficient. In executing the work, Rembrandt was characteristically meticulous in his portrayal of the rich tapestry effects woven into the silky fabric used for the costume. The dramatic play of light reflecting on this fabric is seen to also reflect off of the back of the man, creating a halo effect around his side emphasizing the realist attitude of the artistic world at this time while also emphasizing the Baroque tendencies to emphasize grandeur. The barest hint of the woven pattern can also be discerned in the shadowed areas across the man’s front section again reflecting the realist approach. The lighting in the image also permits Rembrandt to illustrate, in masterful style, the woven pattern as it passes over the man’s right shoulder in shimmering waves of silk that appears to glow with its own inner light. Rembrandt’s brilliance in capturing this translucent quality of the fabric helps to balance the image against the aura of reflected light seen to the man’s left while still claiming its prominence as the painting’s focal point. It also permits the light to fall more fully upon the man’s face, bringing the portrait element out in clear detail. The heaviness of the costume’s primary fabric is suggested in its pull against the natural folds as the cloth is draped across the man’s frame. This is easily compared with the lighter weight fabric that has been draped loosely around the man’s neck. This fabric brilliantly picks up the golden tint of the brocade while also suggesting a much lighter weave in its drapes and puckers, highlighting Rembrandt’s mastery of shading. Finally, the man’s turban is illustrated with such delicacy of brushstroke that it seems as silky and smooth as a spider’s silken web around its egg case. As in details elsewhere in the image, the folds of the fabric are discovered through the careful play of light across the surface and the painted objects that are used to hold the wrapping in place. Illustrated by the clever hands of Rembrandt, what might have seemed the ridiculous idea of a white man dressed in Oriental costuming for a portrait is transformed into a powerful, realist expression of wealth, international influence, richness of material and natural Baroque-style visual expression. Rembrandt’s masterful use of lighting helps bring the image into strong balance and began to influence the way other Dutch artists approached the subject of portrait painting. His careful attention to the detail of his brushwork would prove enlightening to artists who would follow him, such as the brilliant Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh. Rembrandt’s emphasis on the texture of the materials depicted provided the image with an unprecedented depth and richness. Although an example of one of his earlier works, “The Noble Slav” nevertheless clearly demonstrates why Rembrandt emerged as such an influential figure among the Dutch painters, blending the achievements of the past and painting the way to the future, and secures his name within the annals of art history. Works Cited Bull, Duncan. Rembrandt-Caravaggio. Rijksmuseum. (2006). De Vries, Jan & Ad van der Woude. The First Modern Economy: Success, Failure and Perseverance of the Dutch Economy, 1500-1815. Cambridge University Press, 1997. Rembrandt. “The Noble Slav.” Oil on canvas. (1632). Bequest of William K. Vanderbilt, 1920. Silve, Seymour. Dutch Painting, 1600-1800. Yale University Press, 1995. Read More