Rembrandt

Born in 1606 in Leiden, Netherlands,  Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was apprenticed to a local painter at the age of 14, where the prevailing style was Historical and Architectural. He went on to become a prolific and innovative painter of the Dutch Golden Age. creating nearly 3000 works over his lifetime. Almost 80 of those were self portraits. including drawings, paintings and prints. He is credited with a mastery of storytelling - capturing mood and character through portrayal of expression and light.

In 1632 he moved to Amsterdam. As his reputation grew, other young artists paid to paint under his guidance, and he would sign these works as his own, creating difficulty in identifying original work later.

The Nightwatch 1642 by Rembrandt van Rijn

He is credited with a mastery of storytelling - capturing mood and character through portrayal of expression and light. In 1632 he moved to Amsterdam. As his reputation grew, other young artists paid to paint under his guidance, and he would sign these works as his own, creating difficulty in identifying original work later. In 1632 he moved to Amsterdam. As his reputation grew, other young artists paid to paint under his guidance, and he would sign these works as his own, creating difficulty in identifying original work later. 

Rembrandt’s preliminary sketches for his paintings show characteristic features with expressive lines, creating the effect of realism in a very expressive way.

Self Portrait by Rembrandt

A Master of Portraiture

His work is dominated by natural earth pigments and muted warm tones - Yellow and Red Ochre, Burnt Sienna, and Umber. He enriched charcoal with earth colours or combined with Lead White to make grey.

He also mixed Red Lake with Red or Yellow Ochre to produce the brighter colours. Lake pigments were often used as transparent glazes. Blue was used rarely, only to make greenish glazes when added to Yellow Lake. He never used Ultramarine  - although it was available at the time. His style became even more intense in later work. Some believe his self-portraits were visual studies intended to refine his translation of emotion. It is certainly true the later works display a world-weary man gazing back at his life and himself with punishing honesty.

Beyond Features

His grasp of psychological complexity, and knack for making visible the nuanced depths of a figure’s emotional state made him an unparalleled master of portraiture. His talent was widely sought after, with many and varied portraits commissioned.

In 1632 a project from the Surgeon’s Guild marked a radical break from tradition. Instead of depicting the subjects in the traditional way, a daring and revolutionary Rembrandt painted them mid-dissection in a dramatic
and fascinating tableaux.

Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp 1632

Would you love to paint like Rembrandt? Join us for our 10 week All-Abilities course and explore wide range of mediums and artistic styles. These art classes are suitable for all abilities, including complete beginners. We explore everything from architecture to portraits, using pencils, charcoal, pastels, watercolour, gouache and acrylics.