DAY 105

A PICTURE’S WORTH 1000 200 WORDS

Self-Portrait

REMBRANDT VAN RIJN, 1660-1663

Rembrandt is unique among every Western painter in that he created dozens of self-portraits over the course of his career. The question of why he did this remains a topic of lively scholarly debate, but the abundance of self-portraits allows us to track the evolution of his style.

In his earlier portraits, Rembrandt is shown dressed up in 16^th-century fashion—berets, gold chains, and all—looking poised and polished. But as he aged and his style evolved, his looser and more direct painting style (as evidenced in the portrait at right) contributed to a falling out with his patrons. This sense of rejection appears to come through in this painting, which is frank, candid, and oozing with self-scrutiny. —DDG