A History of European Art

(Steven Felgate) #1

By 1631, he was back in Amsterdam and his career began in earnest, especially
as an increasingly in-demand portrait painter. The romanticized retellings of
Rembrandt’s life are still the stuff of popular legend, but in truth, his life was
like many others, encompassing triumphs and reversals, both personal and
artistic. He achieved great wealth in his 30s and suffered ¿ nancial collapse
in his 50s. The early death of his ¿ rst wife, Saskia, and the later deaths of his
companion, Hendrickje, and his son, Titus, were dreadful blows. We see his
Self-Portrait with Mouth Open (1628–1629), a drawing that shows the artist
studying himself rather than a model. Countless artists have done the same
thing, but self-portraiture would become a habit with Rembrandt.


We begin with Rembrandt’s etching, which Filippo Baldinucci described
in 1686 as done “in a certain most bizarre manner.” Rembrandt’s “manner”
was in contrast with the clean, linear style of Italian, particularly Bolognese,
etching of Baldinucci’s experience. In etching, a copper plate is coated with
a ground, usually made of beeswax and rosin. The etcher draws a design
with a steel needle, removing the ground and exposing the plate. The plate
is immersed in an acid bath; the acid eats into the plate where the metal has
been exposed. After it is cleaned, the plate is inked, and a print is made in
much the same process as engraving. Drypoint uses a different kind of steel
tool, with which the artist carves directly into the copper plate. The resulting
raised metal burrs are left on the surface. When the plate is inked, the burrs
collect ink, which can be seen as very dark areas in the print.


We see Rembrandt’s Angel Appearing to the Shepherds (1634). The etching
shows the apparition of the angels to the shepherds, telling them of the birth
of the Christ Child. Perhaps no other artist has ever imagined this particular
interpretation of the subject. The scene takes place at night, but we see an
explosion of light where the host of angels appears. The earthly result is
chaos; the sense of drama cannot be overstated.


Next, we turn to the Blinding of Samson (1636). The history of this painting
is not clear. Extroverted drama was Rembrandt’s mode in the mid-1630s, but
this subject is both unusual and unusually shocking. We see the entrance of
the tent, through which the Philistine soldiers have come to seize Samson, his
strength gone with his shorn hair. There are ¿ ve soldiers: One threatens with
shield and saber at the upper right; one is chaining Samson’s hand; one has

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