Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijns Self-Portraits Essay -- Painter Painting

The old man sits. His hands are folded nicely in his lap and his facial features stay composed. He wears an overcoat that seems to be a soft velvet, shaded in a reddish-violet hue. Curls peep through the cap on his head, which is pushed slightly back and to the side. His eyes gaze unto those of the observer, telling of his life; the lack of fulfillment, the need for restoration. The color of his face and the cap’s white brim are lit up against a background that nearly engulfs the outline of his body, giving an impression of incompleteness. Although the man’s garment can be seen, it is somewhat hidden amongst the dark colors surrounding. The lines and colors that are so considerably apparent in the creation of the stark whiskers, the distinguished nose and brow, and even the rounded cheeks, disappear in the detail of the body. Although this painting will marvel some, pulling them in as they observe; others will just pass by, thinking, he’s just a man on the wall. Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn painted many self-portraits throughout his career, and about forty have survived. In studying these paintings, one will find that a certain growth and development of his style happened throughout his life. For example, in his earlier self-portraits, he used a technique that is called chiaroscuro, which is the use of deep variations of light and shade. In these early paintings, it is hard to tell what Rembrandt looked like because of the shadows covering his face. The later portraits, however, have a softer, more emotional tone. These paintings are the most moving portraits that Rembrandt did. The one described above was done the same year that he died, 1669. The emotions that come with the painting are incredible and as... ...elf-expression. In looking at these different pieces, one can see that the life of this man and where he was, acts as an important reference to his paintings. So the next time you think, oh, he’s just a man on the wall, take time to look, what do you see? Works Cited Bockermuhl, Micheal. Rembrandt. Germany: Taschen, 2000. Koehler, Wilhelm. Rembrandt. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1953. Krent, Emily, and Danie Mary. Paintings by Rembrant.Web Gallery of Art. Web. 12 May 2015. http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/html/r/rembran/painting/index.html Pescio, Claudio. Masters of Art: Rembrandt and 17th Century Holland. New York: Peter Bedrick Books, 1995. Pioch, Nicolas. Rembrandt. Web Museum, Paris. Web. 12 May 2015. http://www.ibiblio.org/wn/paint/auth/rembrandt Mjdehaan. "Virtual Exhibition" Novemeber 2014. Web. 12 May 2015. https://mjdehaan1.wordpress.com/