I thought you might like to see some of the artists who have influenced me over the course of my career. We will go from oldest to youngest over the next few weeks.
First up is Rembrandt, 1606-1669. Rembrandt was actually his first name. His full name was Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn. A Dutch master of oil painting, drawing and intaglio (etching) Rembrandt focused primarily on the powerful emotional effect of light on form.
Bathing Bathsheba – Oil on Canvas – 1654
Bathsheba has a letter demanding that she go see King David. Her husband, Uriah, at David’s direction, is about to be sent to the front lines of war, where he will be killed. The resignation and depression in her face and body is perfect. All the sensual nudity in the world could not overcome that, and Rembrandt illustrates it perfectly.
Saskia Sleeping – Ink on paper – 1655
In this ink wash image Rembrandt uses the ink to let us know her hair is dark, but the rest of the image he is simply depicting shadows. The deep shadows in her eyes, the simple rounded strokes over her shoulders and hip and the wider, darker strokes below her all contribute to you feeling her weight pressing down, making the title completely believable.
Ecce Homo (Behold the Man) version 1 – Etching – 1655
Ecce Homo – version 2 – Etching – 1655
Rembrandt was a master printmaker. His etchings were very influential on me pursuing printmaking as an undergraduate and graduate student. My Grandfather had 4 prints of his (copies, not originals) that I saw in his home from an early age.
The scene above is the moment when Pilate presents Jesus to the crowd and asks whether he should be let go or condemned. We know the answer obviously. The etching actually went through more than 2 versions, more like 8, but these two are the defining images of the print because they represent 2 very different approaches to the story. The first is a scene you are witnessing. The second is a scene you are participating in. There is no barrier preventin you being in the crowd, preventing you being the one Pilate is expecting an answer from. Combine that immediacy with the two dark, foreboding tunnels into the underworld below Pilate and Jesus and you have a choice to make which direction you will take.
I once took a semester long seminar at the Boston Museum of Art through the school I was going to at the time, Brandeis University. We were able to study the prints of Rembrandt, including these, close up, with magnifying glasses. We also got to study Durer and Goya in the same glass. It was a profound experience for me as a young artist.
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Winter 2012/2013
Winter 2011/2012
- Week #10 – Coco Larrain
- Week #9 – Nina Levy
- Week #8 – Andy Goldsworthy
- Week #7 – Wayne Thiebaud
- Week #6 – Richard Diebenkorn
- Week #5 – Roy Lichtenstein
- Week #4 – Thomas Hart Benton
- Week #3 – Edward Hopper
- Week #2 – Henri Matisse
- Week #1 – Rembrandt
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marty! love this series that you’re doing. i have always considered you as my “art mentor” and this series reinforces and continues to affirm that title. do any of your local colleges/schools need an art history prof?!?!?
Thank you Lisa! I probably reach a more people doing art history/appreciation type blog postings than I would if I were lecturing at a university. Plus, then I would have to wear a bow tie, tweed jacket and smoke a pipe
Awesome! I love Rembrandt. So ‘deep, dark and rich’. Is this series going in order? like first week is your favorite artist, second week your second favorite? or just a general conglomeration?
It is chronological for the most part, not in order of preference. I figured I would just start with the artists farther back in history and go from there. Don’t hold me to it when we get to 21st century since I figure they are all basically working concurrently.