Who were the greatest artists of all time?

How would you answer that question?  Monet, Da Vinci, Picasso, Renoir?  

Surely, Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn (known simply as Rembrandt) would be on your list.  Rembrandt’s portraits, use of light and shadow, and sensitive and emotional style of painting assure his position as one of the greats.

Rembrandt’s Life {1606-1669}

1659 Self Portrait {Rembrandt}

Rembrandt was born in Holland, in the town of Leiden, to a miller and a baker’s daughter on July 15, 1606. His parents took Rembrandt’s education seriously, sending him to the Latin School before enrolling him at University of Leiden when he was 14.  The program didn’t suit him, however, and he shortly left the university to study art as an apprentice with first a local artist, Jacob van Swanenburch, and then an artist in Amsterdam, Pieter Lastman.  Rembrandt was a quick study; soon he had mastered all that these teachers had to offer and began to take students of his own.

Saskia mit Blume {Rembrandt}

In 1634 Rembrandt fell in love with and married a well-to-do young woman (the cousin of an art dealer) by the name of Saskia van Uylenburgh.  At this point, his career was in full swing and Rembrandt was highly regarded for his biblical and historical paintings, as well as his sensitive and detailed portraits.  Unfortunately, his family life was marked by tragedy.  He and Saskia had four children and only the last child, Titus, survived beyond infancy.  Saskia herself died shortly after Titus was born, leaving Rembrandt with a deep sadness that manifested itself in his paintings.  He eventually found love again with the woman he hired to care for his son and his home.  He and Hendrickje Stoffels lived together until her death.  They had one child together, a daughter named Cornelia.  His son, Titus, died in 1668 and Rembrandt himself died shortly thereafter, in 1669.

Hendrickje as Venus {portrait by Rembrandt}

Rembrandt’s Work

Rembrandt’s earlier paintings fit the characteristics of the Baroque period, with their fine detail, intense lighting, rich colors and heightened emotional content.  His work primarily included portraits, historical events and biblical scenes, with an emphasis on dramatic action, often seeming as if the paintings had been done in the heat of the moment.  Storm on the Sea of Galilee epitomizes this style.

Storm on the Sea of Galilee {1633}

Rembrandt’s style developed further during his Amsterdam years.  He was a master at portraying human depth and emotion, and paintings took on a more somber tone, perhaps due to the pain in his family life.  In fact, a scientific study was done as to why his portraits seem to have such depth, drawing on the amount of detail Rembrandt painted around the subject’s eyes in portraits.  During this time he also moved further into the use of chiaroscuro (meaning “bright-dark”), a technique that is characterized by dramatic light and shadow

Alter Mann in Lehnstuhl {1654}

His most famous painting from this period is clearly the Night Watch (top of post), which is a group portrait that caused him a bit of strife.  His style was unique, especially in regard to the movement of the subjects, and there is evidence that some of the men who paid for the portrait were unhappy with where they were situated in the painting.

In the 1640′s, and on into his last decades of painting, Rembrandt found a love of landscapes and nature scenes, his brushstrokes became bolder and colors richer.  He also created etchings of different subjects, and is well-known for the amount of self-portraits he completed over his lifetime (over 90).  He still painted biblical scenes, but toward the end of his life he favored intimate scenes full of emotion, rather than dramatic ones.

The Prodigal Son {1669}

Rembrandt’s work is timeless and the emotion he was able to portray, along with his incredible technique and skill, make him one of the most well-loved master painters of all time.

Activities and further study

• This student discussion and activity page has many interesting ideas to adapt for your homeschool.
• Choose a painting of Rembrandt’s and study it for a full minute.  Then, without looking at the picture, have your children describe it with as much detail as possible. Discuss color, emotion, scenery, props, clothing, etc.  Have them write what they remember on a notebooking page.
• Choose another artist of the time period and have your children compare and contrast the work of both Rembrandt and their artist of choice.  A few of Rembrandt’s contemporaries: Peter Paul Rubens, Diego Velazquez, Jan Vermeer, Sir Anthony van Dyck
• Copy one of Rembrandt’s paintings paintings on black cardstock using pastels.  Choose a painting that has dramatic dark and light areas to explore. (For some pastel tutorials, check out Hodgepodge Mom)
• Look up the art of Caravaggio, the artist who first introduced the technique of chiaroscuro
• Here is a wonderful resource for quality public domain images, available to all: Wikimedia Commons.  Simply find an artist alphabetically and study what you discover!
• Rembrandt by Mike Venezia
• Rembrandt and the Boy Who Drew Dogs, by Molly Blaisdell and Nancy Lane
• Notebooking Pages now has their Notebooking Publisher web application up and running.  What beautiful artist notebooking pages you could make with this new app, drawing from the many images online and your children’s typed text!  Find video tutorials on the Publisher here.  Membership is a perfect addition to your next schoolyear.

Be sure to visit the iHomeschool Network’s July Birthday Blog Hop page, where you’ll find other famous birthdays to celebrate!

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