Rembrandt van Rijn's Interesting Facts
Who was Rembrandt van Rijn?
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, better known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch painter, printmaker, and draughtsman during the Golden Age. He is widely regarded as being one of the greatest visual artists in the history of art and the most prominent in Dutch art history.
He is a creative and brilliant master of three media. Unlike other 17th-century Dutch masters, Rembrandt's paintings cover a wide range of subjects and styles, from portraiture and self-portraits to sceneries, genre scenes, metaphoric and historical settings, biblical and mythical themes, and animal studies.
What is Rembrandt van Rijn's most well-known work?
Rembrandt, a Dutch artist most known for his self-portraits and biblical subjects, is widely regarded as one of Europe's greatest painters.
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What is Rembrandt van Rijn known for?
Rembrandt is also recognized as a painter of light and shade, as well as an artist who chose an uncompromising realism that led some critics to believe he embraced ugliness to beauty. Rembrandt primarily produced portraits early in his career and for a period of time.
What was Rembrandt's style?
The Baroque style and the Golden Age style of the Netherlands.
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He was a leading painter during the Dutch Golden Age
Rembrandt is known for his striking use of light and shadow, as well as his versatility and, most notably, his portraiture.
He lived in Leiden for the majority of his life
He was born in the city of Leiden but dropped out of university to pursue painting full-time, completing his training in Amsterdam under Pieter Lastman, a historical and biblical specialist.
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Rembrandt was neither his surname nor his given name
His complete name, rembrant harmenszoon van rijn, needs some deciphering. Harmenszoon relates to his father's surname, Harmenszoon, and van Rijn, which refers to his family's residence near the Rhine River. So his full name is Remnant, Son of Harmen, Rhinelander. In 1633, he added the silent "d" to his signature, altering it from Rembrant to Rembrandt, for unknown reasons.
His Latin monogram was used to sign early artwork
Rembrandt studied theology, mythology, and old roman works in the Latin school in Holland, speaking in Latin with his classmates. Rembrandt Hermanni Leydensis was his Latin name, which linked to his hometown of Leiden, Holland—rembrant, son of Harmen, of Leiden.
Rembrandt signed his work with his Latin monogram "rhl" early in his career. Soon after, he started spelling his name "Rhl-van Rijn," then "Rembrant," and ultimately "Rembrandt," which became his most famous pseudonym.
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"The Next Rembrandt," was a collaboration work between ING and Microsoft, and was released in 2016 to paint like Rembrandt
An object 3D printed to look like a Rembrandt painting. To imitate an actual Rembrandt painting, the machine-learning algorithms exploited certain data points such as color, geometry, and texture.
In 1631, he moved to Amsterdam almost immediately
Rembrandt grew his company by becoming a burgess of Amsterdam and a member of a local union of painters, hiring students, and entering the lucrative portraiture market - the genre for which he would become famous.
The popular series Friends' theme song was sung by the "The Rembrandts"
The Rembrandts, a band named after the Dutch artist, wrote and performed the song.
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Rembrandt never left the Netherlands, but his work impacted painters from all over the world
Rembrandt was born, raised, and died in the Netherlands without ever leaving the country. This did not diminish his ability to inspire others through his art. His work influenced artists in both Italy and the Netherlands. Pieter Lastman, Utrecht Caravaggists, and Peter Paul Rubens were among the painters who admired Rembrandt's work.
These men had all traveled to Italy to study painting. Rembrandt's paintings and etchings were famous, and he became a renowned portrait painter. His artistic reputation was at an all-time high. For more than two decades, he also taught art to other Dutch painters. Rembrandt is the most famous and admired Dutch Golden Age artist.
Rembrandt married Saskia van Uylenburgh in 1634
Hendrick van Uylenburgh, one of Rembrandt's early sellers, was his cousin. Four of Rembrandt's five children were born to Saskia, however, three of them perished in infancy.
Saskia died of tuberculosis in 1642, inspiring Rembrandt to create some of his most famous works: somber portraits of his ailing and dying wife. He had Cornelia with his previous maid Hendrickje Stoffels, who eventually became his common-law wife after Saskia died. Rembrandt's only living direct family member at the moment of his death was Cornelia.
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Despite his economic and commercial success, by the late 1640s, he had fallen out of favor
Rembrandt had spent all of his money, was unable to pay his property, and had to declare bankruptcy. He sold his residence, as well as many of his collection's antiques and artworks, as well as his printing machine. He downsized his family's living quarters and never recovered financially, dying in poverty.
Rembrandt left a lasting and important influence on later generations of painters
"Rembrandt penetrates so deep into the enigmatic that he speaks things for which there are no phrases in any language," Vincent van Gogh said of Rembrandt's meaning for him. It is with fairness that people refer to Rembrandt as a 'magician,' which is a difficult job."
One of Rembrandt's most well-known works is The Night Watch, which was requested by the civic militia
The formal title of the artwork is The Militia Copany of Captain Frans Banning Cocq, but because of the dimmed and dark atmosphere of the image, it is known as The Night Watch. The darkness is the result of the varnish and some deterioration, and the original artwork was diffused by intense sunshine, according to conservators.
The Night Watch was completed and then trimmed down on all sides to fit into its new home in Amsterdam Town Hall. The original sculpture included two full characters on the left side, that are now gone, as well as a railing and steps that would have added depth to the work.
Rembrandt was well-known for his patron-commissioned history paintings and portraits
He was also a pioneer in the field of self-portraiture. Scholars have credited at least 40 and as many as 90 legitimate self-portraits to him, but the actual number is unknown.
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Rembrandt was a prolific printmaker in addition to his paintings
In etchings, he was capable of producing extremely fine detail on a small scale. These prints were widely distributed, propelling Rembrandt into international acclaim that extended beyond the Dutch Republic.
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Rembrandt's inventions are not limited to his use of light and shadow
He violated the trend of majestic and formal representational compositions in his group portraits, favoring mid-action images of movement. His clustered figures appear to be preparing for missions, joking together, or organized spontaneously around a single hub.
Rembrandt died at the age of 63 in 1669
He was given a burial that was usual for the destitute because he had lost much of his riches. Despite his atheism, he was buried in a church-owned nameless tomb. His remains were afterward dug up and burnt, as is customary with the poor's remains.
