Tag: Rembrandt in black & white

It is the only self-portrait in which he is seen wearing his ‘daily’ attire.

This etching is still considered to be a self-portrait by some authors, although the person depicted here shows little resemblance with Rembrandt. Also, we see a wart on the right cheek (warts had a negative connotation in the 17th century), not seen in any other self-portrait and the person shown seems to be much ‘bulkier’ than expected in a portrait of Rembrandt. Various other identifications have been made, like Admiral Philip van Dorp (Münz, Nowell-Usticke and Jan Six), Prince Adolf van Cleve (Middleton) and Prince Adolph of Gueldres (Blanc). The latter based on a resemblance with a painting by Rembrandt in 1635 Samson threatening his father-in-law, now in the Gemäldegalerie Berlin (Corpus A 109, Bredius 499). Biörklund suggested Joris de Caullery based on the likeliness with a portrait made in 1632 (Bredius 170, formerly in the Seligmann collection).

This etching is one of the most striking self-portraits in which only the shadowed areas are worked out in detail. The light comes in from the left, which is quite unusual. Although it dates from the same period it is not one of the experiments in facial expressions.
The hat in this etching is probably added later, as it is clearly etched on top of the hair. However, no impressions have been found without the hat to confirm this theory.
The type of coat is a 16th-century version, long out-of-fashion in Rembrandt’s days. It may have served the owner as a warm coat in a cold studio, since it appears in several other portraits of this period as well. Two of these coats were part of his inventory in 1656. The fur, shown in the hat as well as the coat, was a luxury item. Rembrandt excelled in depicting the texture in his paintings.

We see a seriously looking, young man with very bushy hair and a small moustache. Although the plate is probably made or finished by a pupil, it is clearly Rembrandt who is shown here. He wears a buttonless coat or mantle, with two layers and a small almost white collar. The background is empty, the light falls in from the right, leaving a shadow on the right cheek. Rembrandt etched some thirty ‘selfies’ over a period of more than thirty years. In many of these he is experimenting with special looks, uncommon clothing or shadows. Not in this one. Instead, it seems more a picture for a passport then a formal self-portrait.

Around 1630 Rembrandt made a number of small self-portraits in which he shows himself in a variation of moods. Other etchings in this series are B8, B10, B316 and B320. There are also four paintings (Bredius 1, 2, 5 and 6). Probably Rembrandt experimented with facial expressions (affecten or emotions) as an exercise for the biblical and historical scenes he painted later. This particular one has always been very popular, probably because one can almost ‘hear’ him shouting. Because of anguish or of fear? Given the black spot on his nose, which fades slightly in later impressions, could it be that he had recently suffered some injury? As in B10, the loose hair is adding to the emotions.

This is one of the best known self-portraits of Rembrandt. He is depicting himself as an artist with his wife Saskia on his side, with whom he married two years earlier. Rembrandt wears a 16th century beret with a brim. It is very unusual to see a self-portrait with another person.

This etching shows Rembrandt at the age of 33. At that moment he had just bought his new house at the Breestraat, the present Rembrandthuis. He portrays himself in a self-assured, almost arrogant pose. In clothes that were certainly not used in everyday life in that period. It is probably the best known and most popular of his self-portraits, which is supported by the numerous copies made by other artists.

Inspired by Caravaggio (1571-1610) and his followers, the Utrechtse Caravagisten, Rembrandt made several experimental self-portraits. This is clearly one of those. Rembrandt kept the whole face in the shadow, using only two small white dots to lighten up the eyes and a glimmer of light on the nose. He tried this shadow effect earlier (B 12), but that experiment failed miserably. It is the first self-portrait signed with his full name. The combination of the clothing is quite remarkable: the button and string on the left shoulder point at a ‘military’ shirt, yet the scarf is oriental (East Indian) and informal.

In this portrait Rembrandt has ‘dressed up’ as an oriental magistrate, although it is unlikely that he actually wore this outfit when he etched himself. As he did in other portraits he may have worked from imagination or used examples by other artists. The sword (of the type kris) shows only one waved side, whereas it should be waved on both sides. It is also hold incorrectly, since the hook (now shown under) is meant to protect the knuckles of the hand. In other words: Rembrandt was not very accurate when painting weapons.

Around 1630 Rembrandt made a number of small self-portraits, including four paintings, in which he shows himself in a variation of moods, in this case ‘full of sorrow’. Other etchings in this series are B10, B13, B316 and B320. There are also four paintings (Bredius 1, 2, 5 and 6). It is generally assumed that Rembrandt experimented with facial expressions (affecten or emotions) as an exercise for the biblical and historical scenes he painted later. It was probably Rembrandts intention to portray the full body after the 1st state, given the large unused space (cut off in the 2nd state). By doing so, the etching became one of the smallest in his oeuvre.

Around 1630 Rembrandt made a number of small self-portraits in which he shows himself in a variation of moods. Other etchings in this series are B8, B13, B316 and B320. There are also four paintings (Bredius 1, 2, 5 and 6). Probably Rembrandt experimented with facial expressions (affecten or emotions) as an exercise for the biblical and historical scenes he painted later. This is the only etching in which his mood is rather angry instead of the bewildered, laughing face in several other portraits. By turning the head in relation to the body, a suggestion of depth and movement is created. The shadow on the right cheek strengthens the angry mood. The coat is not worked out in detail, again focussing the attention to the face.

Very few artists depicted themselves as regularly as Rembrandt did. Apart from the paintings he is rightfully famous for, he made at least thirty etched self-portraits over a period of more than thirty years. Rembrandt made this etching in the year that he married Saskia. The long hair falling over his left shoulder is meant to break the symmetry. It is a cadenette, normally worn by aristocrats, not by artists. The right part of the band is left white. On purpose or unfinished? This is the only self-portrait in which he pictures himself smiling. Biörklund has named this etching Rembrandt with three moustaches, following the earlier French title.

Early in his career Rembrandt used self-portraits to master the technique of etching. Around 1629 he started to experiment with light and shadow, as he did in his early paintings. This is one of those ‘test-pieces’. Rembrandt was at the age of 24 when he made this self-portrait. He is not trying to ‘hide’ the imperfections in his face, like the thick nose and the short beard. In fact, these elements are sharpened by the light coming in from left. Which is quite unusual in etchings by Rembrandt.