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| REMBRANDT VAN RIJN |
Rembrandt van Rijn , one of the great Dutch baroque artists, was born on July 15, 1606, in Leiden, the Netherlands. His father was a miller who wanted him to follow a learned profession, but Rembrandt left the University of Leiden to study painting. His early interest in line, light and shade, and color shows his fascination with the Italian artists of the time. In 1631 Rembrandt left Leiden for Amsterdam where he became a leading portrait painter (view portrait of Jan Six of 1654) and received many commissions for portraits and religious paintings (view The Feast of Belshazzar of 1635) . Rembrandt also attained fame for his landscapes, while as an etcher he ranked among the best. In 1634, he married Saskia van Uylenburgh who modeled for many of his paintings and drawings. But Rembrandt is also famous for his self-portraits (view self-portrait of 1640) , of which, it is estimated, he produced between 50 and 60. The number of works attributed to Rembrandt varies. He produced approximately 600 paintings, 300 etchings, and 1,400 drawings. (View painting The Return of the Prodigal Son of 1662) . Rembrandt's etchings are usually categorized into three chronological periods. The first period, which consists of works produced during the 1630s, is characterized by his adherence to pure etching with his tightly controlled lines. In the following decade, Rembrandt's use of line became freer and less dense with the added use of engraving. The third period sees a continuation in the use of free, open and extraordinarily expressive line and an increased use of engraving. The Return of the Prodigal Son dated from the latter part of his first period. Carefully placed lines and hatchmarks for shading are used and can be seen especially in the faces, bodies, and drapery of the father and son who occupy the center whereas the lines which fill the outer space under the arch to our left, squiggle over the surface, delineating and obscuring at the same time a distant and airy backdrop. The three figures behind and to our right of the father and son are less developed and more freely executed than the pair in the center. This is the beginning of his later, more characteristic loose style. Rembrandt has depicted the moment when the son, having returned home, is greeted by his father. The physical appearance of the emaciated and weak son reflects his sinful spiritual state from having squandered away his family fortune. The father, who also seems to be suffering spiritually from the former lost of his son, leans over and grasps his kneeling son in desperate love and forgiveness, shielding him from the eyes of on-lookers, who perhaps are the rest of the family. |
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 PANNELL ART GALLERY
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