Rembrandt (1606-1669). A Biographical Sketch.

e e e figure on an Egyptian ceiling dating from about 1400 BC although the art of drawing is as old as the world itself there is a Charming Greek legend that says it was born of the most beautiful of human emotions of Love C 4our era PL narr a beautiful girl of cision cor while admiring her beloved as he slept was struck with the idea of tracing his silhouette shadowed on the wall by the torch light she snatched a piece of charcoal from the fireplace and carefully traced the outline her father a pucker model the profile with clay and then baked it thus plastic art and drawing were discovered simultaneous [Music] [Music] [Music] although this happened several centuries after the cavemen and the pharaoh's artists had done their work the story is worth telling for it was in fact in the land of the Grecian Gods where precise craftsmanship and the magic of color gave birth to the real art of painting of which these vases made in the 3r century BC offer a striking example early painters use both brush and [Music] sponge until the Advent of Raphael and Leonardo da Vinci the art of painting consisted of hiding the brush Strokes by glossing the picture and blending the color Alber Durer after the Perfections introduced in oil painting by vanex founded the German school then came the femish school with its illustrious Masters ruin van d and the Dutch school which rembrand with his Sublimity and genius made famous there is nothing left of the mill of Li which stood on the Pelican Rampart near the White gate except this Comm tablet at number three V recalling that here was born on July 15th 166 rembrand [Music] on May 20th 1620 the 14-year-old rembrand trudged along the embankment of Golem of the AR Shooters and the renberg to the University of Li where he was matriculated for the course and L he left the university a year later I want to be a painter too he said rembrand was placed in apprenticeship for Jacob van swanenberg but his impetuous nature rebelled and he journeyed on to Amsterdam to try his luck with lastma 6 months with lasma convinced him there was nothing to learn with the Mastery and at 18 he left Amsterdam he returned to lien determined that henceforth he would recognize and Obey only one master nature in 1627 we find him back in the paternal dwelling with lenen for companionship working intensely in this studio with Gerard D had painting here REM Brand's first picture the money chain which his father posed with that docility which enabled rembrand to put him in many guid as for example the Turkish prince in this picture but with that impressive Simplicity he painted the portrait of his mother scorning all accessories except for an old book The Bible then later found an even more willing model who fulfilled the most exacting requirements of his F artistic imagination a model ever ready to obey him and one who never tired for this model viewed from many angles was rembrand himself and here is saskia who became his wife these Works were achieved between the ages of 22 and 29 in 1631 rembrand bid farewell to the Old Mills great veins had revolved the dreams of his youth he crossed the Dutch Countryside bathed in the dazzling light that giv it Skies with romess transparency and continued on to Amsterdam where he was to live from then on 1631 that he painted the presentation in the temple years later he used the same setting for the woman taken in adultery in 1632 after having excelled in forur he started painting his first subject being the lesson of anatomy Prof ordered by the surgeon gild he put Professor to in the place of honor all the portraits were amazingly liike success had come a Smiled On REM and he was only 26 years old [Music] in the following year he executed two variations of a single subject the philosopher with the open book and the philosopher in meditation it was while standing before these two panels acquired by Louis the 16th that Daka above all the admirer of Italy said Italian painting is color and rembrand is philosophy in contemplating his St Paul the Apostle one recognizes that rembrand better than all others expressed most highly the theme of meditation R now is happy for pastor of St an's Parish has just inscribed in today June 22nd 1634 I United in wedlock the painter rembrand Van Rin of Amsterdam vanen daughter of the late Burg master of leard REM Brand's home became too small to hold all the furniture and art objects had en visit so on January 5th 1639 he acquired a house in the street of the Jews for a price of 13,000 Gil the front door opens on a hallway at the end of this Hall are two doors the door on the left leads to the printing room rembrand himself pulled the prince of his etchings and this press one can imagine him leaning over the copper plate scrutinizing this group of Dr fsts or touching up the Three Trees a picture evoking the serenity of a beautiful Dutch Sunday in summer beneath billowing clouds here is the re the studio with four Windows letting in the north light is one flight up this drawing of a master shows how he isolated his students with Partition thus obliging them to seek aid from no one but the model this floor today is an exposition room which displays among other things the famous gild Prince Jesus Healing The Sick [Music] rembrand was almost snowed under by the orders of art lovers he informed Constantine Higgins Secretary of the prince of orang bther that the pictures of the passion had been forwarded and that the charge for them would be 1,000 gilders each one depicts The Descent from the cross and the other the transfer to the Tomb in June 1642 he delivered to Captain France Benning [ __ ] lord of peralan the Night Watch really the sorty of the Banning cut company this famous painting owes its nocturnal aspect to Pete smoke in the guard room where it remains in5 the pilgrims that a which rembrand show such an understanding of humanity and Divinity that he might have lived in biblical times the Good Samaritan rembrand no longer moved about in the Solitude of this soothing atmosphere he meditated and dreamed [Music] [Music] sasia is dead the timid sweetness of Henrik kles now calms the Restless Spirit of the master she is model posed in this picture as BBA Misfortune comes down on the painter in 6 a bill of sale is posted in his house in the street of the Jews his Ard and work however is only intensified from a swiftly drawn sketch he achieved the lesson in anatomy of Professor Damon of which there remains only this practice saved from a fire in 1723 in 1661 he finished the Draper Guild though motionless they seem preoccupied speaking without moving the lids there is nothing strange about them they are alive such was fanon's view of this work which he said revealed the complete [Music] rembrand the pain and the engraver were one rembrand handled copper needle and press in a manner that remains forever inimitable true to his method he took himself as model here he is [Music] drawing rembrand resting returning from a stroll he engraved the h [Music] the weer of gold here is John the 6th Jesus [Music] preaching e homo [Music] and his most impressive work which attains the sublime the three crosses [Music] work was the sole Haven in which he could find Tranquility in one day he etched this Phoenix in which a bird usurps the place of Genius it was a reply of his Fierce Independence to those who criticized his disdain for finish and to whom he replied I am a painter not a dire but Destiny is relentless on November 7 16 19 68 he lost his son Titus tireless he again took up his brushes 2,000 drawings 300 Engravings and 700 paintings would have been enough for his Fame yet he continued to paint but on Tuesday October 8th 1669 except for his clothes a Bible and the tools of his craft the inventory States Death left nothing nothing but the great light of his genius which henceforth became the common property of humanity [Music] to