Rembrandt: What's the Story, Anyway?

This sixteenth century Dutch European artist has been very interesting to research. Not only did I discover many facts about him, who I admire very much, I also found many myths. (These myths, by the way, are due largely in part of a 1936 film where the script was riddled with inaccuracies.) For example, many believed his greatness was not discovered until after his death (1669: age 69). Not true! He was considered one of the greatest artists of his time, perhaps of our time too. It is also written no one would commission his work prior to his death, so he was reduced to creating self-portraits. Reduced? It is true he painted more self-portraits than possibly any other famous artist, but this was not because he could not sell his work. It was merely a sort of chronicle of the various stages of his life. Another myth I found interesting was one about his funeral. It is written he was a virtual "unknown" and few people attended. This is untrue because, as with during his life, several held him in high regard at the time of his passing. The artist I speak of is Rembrandt Harmendszon van Rijn.

Rembrandt was born July 15, 1606 to a middle class family in Leidon, Holland. He as the eighth of nine children and thought, by his parents, to be the most promising of them all. They were adamant about seeing to it that he received the most proper and accurate education of their time. In 1620, his studies fell off while in pursuit of further artistic teachings in the area of painting and drawing. He received training from an unrecorded Leidon artist and later under Jacob van Swanenburg. Rembrandt's attention was drawn to all subjects imaginable aside from those of importance to van Swanenburg, which infuriated him. He also studied under Peter Lastman for six months, who taught him how to paint the history of that day.

It is not my intention to bore you with a bunch of facts, but this artist was truly a joy to research. I have always admired his style, use of light and dark, which he is known for, and his subject matter. He painted over five hundred pieces, mostly (but not limited to) biblical scenes and portraits, during his lifetime. This is, mind you, despite the fact that he worked from home. Isn't that amazing? Most of his time was spent in Amsterdam, Holland drawing, painting and being with his family. He painted right up to the end of his life leaving behind an unfinished painting, Simeon in the Temple. Though the majority of his work were biblical scenes, he dressed them in costumes he liked and he used furniture and decorations from his period. Isn't that interesting? He was not hung up on the accuracy of the scene, rather he was more focused on portraying a story which inspired him in his own way.

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