Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606-1669)
IN THE BUSINESS OF ART
Rembrandt van Rijn was a commercially successful artist. Born in Leiden, the Netherlands, he attended Latin school where he studied classical literature, rhetoric, mythology, and religion. As a teen, he attended the University of Leiden, but dropped out after only a few months to pursue art full time.
A statue of the artist in Amsterdam’s Rembrandt Square.
For three years, Rembrandt apprenticed with local artist Jacob van Swanenburch, followed by a brief apprenticeship with historical artist Pieter Lastman. A short time later, he opened a studio with established artist Jan Lievens and began taking on pupils of his own. At 22 years old, Rembrandt was already surpassing his mentors and peers.
In 1631, Rembrandt moved to Amsterdam, married, and began to enjoy great success as a portrait artist. As business grew, so did his need for help; thus, he employed a number of assistants. In fact, art historians believe that under Rembrandt’s tutelage, these assistants may actually have rendered some of the works for which the famous artist is credited. Today, there are scholars devoted to properly identifying and attributing these works.
Nevertheless, Rembrandt created hundreds of paintings, etchings, and drawings over the course of his lifetime, including roughly 50 to 60 self-portraits depicting him at various stages of his life and always with an air of humility. He was known as a compassionate man and an intuitive artist, whose work adeptly captured and conveyed human emotion with near flawlessness. Although Rembrandt suffered financial ruin in his later years, he continued working until his death. —RJR
Notable works: The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp, 1632; The Night Watch, 1642; Self-portrait, 1660–63 (page 112); Self-portrait, 1669.
FUN FACT
During his career, Rembrandt experimented with different signatures. His earliest signatures were simple monograms: “R” and “RHL.” In 1632, the signature evolved into “RHL-van Rijn,” followed by “Rembrant.” In 1633, he added a “d,” and the signature became the well-recognized “Rembrandt.”