Artist Rembrandt van Rijn: Biography, Creativity

Art makes our life more interesting and beautiful. There are people who will remain in memory for many centuries, whose work will be inherited by new generations.

After reading this article, you will become closer to understanding the heritage of world art, which left behind the great artist - artist Rembrandt van Rijn.

Biography

Today he is called a master of shadows, as well as a man who could put absolutely any emotion on the canvas. Then we will get acquainted with the life path that he had to go through.

Rembrandt Harmens van Rijn (1606-1669) was born in the Netherlands, in the city of Leiden. From a young age he was interested in painting, and from the age of 13 he studied fine art with Jakob van Svanenbürh, who was a historical painter.

After this, it is known that Rembrandt at the age of 17 studied with Peter Lastman, when he came to Amsterdam. His teacher specialized in biblical motifs and mythology.

I took up my business

By the year 21, Rembrandt van Rijn, together with his friend, had opened a painting workshop and held regular sets of pupils and art classes. It took literally several years, and he became popular among others as a master of his craft.

Together with his friend Leavens they already at that time created masterpieces, and they were noticed by Konstantin Huygens, who was the secretary of the Prince of Orange. He called the picture with Judas one of the best works of art of antiquity. He played a major role in the formation of the artist, helping to establish contacts with rich clients.

New life in Amsterdam

By 1631, Rembrandt van Rijn had already completely moved to live in Amsterdam. Life in this city was full of orders of weighty clients, who saw in him a great young artist. At this time, his friend went to study in England, where he also tried to succeed under the patronage of a new teacher.

Meanwhile, the artist begins to get carried away with the image of faces. He is interested in the facial expressions of each person, he tries to experiment with the painted heads of people. Rembrandt van Rijn knew how to accurately convey everything that the eyes of the person from whom he wrote the masterpiece spoke.

It was the portraits at that time that brought the artist commercial success. In addition, he was fond of self-portraits. You can find many of his works, where he portrayed himself in imaginary suits and attires, interesting poses.

Time of glory

General recognition in Amsterdam, Rembrandt, Harmens van Rijn found after writing the painting "Anatomy of Doctor Tulp" in 1632, where he portrayed surgeons, which the doctor taught to dissect on the example of a corpse.

If you look at this picture, you can see the fine line with which the wizard depicted the facial expression of each of them. These are not just people's faces, he managed to convey the general alerted emotion of a whole group of students.

And the way he portrayed the shadow in the picture, struck many experts of the time. They unanimously began to say that Rembrandt Harmens van Rijn had matured along with his paintings.

We can say that this time is considered one of the most favorable in the life of a young artist. After marriage with Saskia van Eylenbyurh in 1634 orders fell on his head at such a speed with which he did not have time to draw.

In the first years of life in the new city, more than 50 paintings were written by the young Rembrandt van Rijn. The paintings were special and vivid, writers often recollected his creations. For example, Jost van den Vondel, then a famous poet and playwright, paid tribute to the author in his poems about his portrait of Cornelis Anslo.

At that time, he had enough money to buy his own mansion. Fascinated by art and studying the works of classics and other masters, he filled his house known as works of contemporaries, and creations of ancient times.

Family life

Today's art critics note the good works of the time that Rembrandt van Rijn wrote. Pictures of his wife Saskia in different clothes and on different backgrounds say that the master is fully ripe and began to create his art on canvases.

There was a grief - the three children who appeared during his marriage died at a small age. But in 1641 the couple had a son, Titus, who was the outlet of young parents. That turbulent time was perfectly imprinted on the artist's painting "The Prodigal Son in the Tavern."

Unpleasant event

Further, the biography of Rembrandt van Rijn begins to acquire even darker shades. A year after the birth of his son, his wife dies.

As in the early years, the imagination of the great artist always pushed him to create paintings with certain biblical stories. What does his painting "The Sacrifice of Abraham", which he wrote in 1635, only cost! So clearly conveyed emotions and mood, you begin to experience that it is worth blinking, as soon as the knife sticks into the flesh.

In contemporary art, such a feeling can only be conveyed to photographers who take a clear shot in motion. Indeed, it amazes his ability to reflect the atmosphere of situations, processed by the imagination of the great master.

Start of problems

On the death of his wife, the artist's failures did not end. The artist's views gradually changed. Gradually lost was the young Rembrandt van Rijn, whose work delighted contemporaries.

In 1642 he received an excellent proposal to write a portrait of musketeers, which was to be placed in a newly built building of the Rifle Society. It was one of the greatest paintings ever written by a master - it reached four meters.

According to the customers' vision, the artist had to create an ordinary portrait of soldiers, who would radiate strength and confidence. Unfortunately, the artist Rembrandt van Rijn completed the task in his own way.

As can be seen in the picture "Night Watch", which is shown below, his work is difficult to call a portrait. The canvas depicts a whole scene of training a shooting company for a sudden campaign.

And you can see how motionless in the picture. This is a separate frame from the life of soldiers. There was a lot of indignation from customers about this. Some musketeers were pushed into the background, and someone was completely captured in an awkward pose.

In addition, a sharp play of light and shadow, which, perhaps, no one could so brightly and boldly depict on the canvas, also did not cause admiration.

After that, Rembrandt van Rijn, whose works were considered one of the best yesterday, began to become not interesting to a high-ranking public. And that meant at the time that nobody would do expensive orders from him.

Now imagine a man who lived his whole life on a broad foot, and then sharply lost the source of income. Could he already give up his usual life?

Modernity required detailing pictures

Gradually pupils leave it. The vision of Rembrandt is gradually becoming inconsistent with the fashion of that time - new trends were moving towards maximum detail. That is, if the artist began to draw as he did in his youth, then he would have considerable demand.

But life is unpredictable, just like a real creative person. His hand became firm, he liked to play with the shadow, blurring the sharp edges of objects.

The inability to earn well affected his financial situation. Considering that his deceased wife was a lady from a wealthy family, her dowry passed completely into his domain. And, without earning money, he simply spent it, or "burned", for his own needs.

At the end of the fortieth years of the 17th century he met with his maid Hendrikje. It can be seen in some of his paintings. At that time the laws were strict with respect to family ties, and his muse was convicted by the court when they gave birth to a baby Cornelia.

It is difficult to find the famous canvases of this period of the artist's life. He gradually moved away from the many containing motifs and scenes that he wrote in the recent past.

But he, as a creative person, manifested himself in other spheres. At that time, he already masterfully performed the etchings. It took him 7 years to complete the masterpiece called "Christ Healing the Sick."

He was able to sell it for quite large for that time 100 gulden. This etching is considered the best one that Rembrandt could create.

Sunset Rembrandt

The elderly artist increasingly faced material problems. In 1656 he became completely bankrupt, transferring his entire inheritance to his son. There was nothing to live on. A year later he had to sell his estate. The money he got helped him to move to the quiet outskirts of Amsterdam. He settled in the Jewish quarter.

The closest person to him during his old age was a son. But Rembrandt was not lucky, because he lived to his death. He could not endure strikes of fate and a year later also died.

Today's Rembrandt

Art never dies. Creators live in their works, in particular, artists are always part of their canvases. The essence of man is conveyed in his style and skill of writing pictures.

To date, Rembrandt van Rijn is considered an artist with a capital letter and is recognized by all critics. His work is highly appreciated. For example, in 2009, at auction, his painting "The Belt Portrait of an Unknown Man Standing Braced", written in 1658, was sold for a record price of $ 41 million (in terms of the rate of that time).

Also appreciated is his picture "Portrait of an elderly woman", which in 2000 was sold for about $ 32 million. This canvas can not even be called a "painting". It looks like just a big photo - so much to detail the face could only a great master.

People like Rembrandt Harmens van Rijn really inspire. And it is not necessary to become an artist, you just need to do what you like, and most importantly - from the heart.