Great Painter Rembrandt

Great Painter Rembrandt
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Who is Rembrandt?

Rembrandt was a Dutch painter and printmaker. He was of the greatest European painter of all times, who lived during the Dutch Golden Age. Rembrandt was most famous as a portraitist, specially remembered for his self-portraitists. He was also one of the greatest storytellers in the history of art.

Rembrandt’s full name was Rembrandt van Rijn. He was born on July 15, 1606, in Netherlands. He was the ninth child of his parents. His father, Harman Gerritszoon van Rijn, was a miller. His mother, Neeltgen Willemsdochter van Zuytbrouck, and came from family bakers.

Rembrandt received a good education and attended a Latin school as a child. Then, he went to the University of Leiden for his higher studies. But had an inclination towards painting, and knew that he wanted to learn art.

School and Career

He decided to pursue art and left university. He became an apprentice under the legendary artist Jacob van Swanenburgh in 1620. He learned the basic of painting from him for the next three years. Later, he was taught art by a famous painter named Pieter Lastman’s.


After Rembrandt completed his training, he becomes a professional artist. Soon, he becomes a professional artist. Soon, he returned to Leiden as a master, and probably moved into a studio along whit a fellow pupil of Lastman’s, Jan Lievens. At the age of twenty-one, he started to teach others how to paint. By the end of his life, he’d taught how to paint. By the end of his life, he’d taught the most well-known artists during his time.

As a Great Painter

Rembrandt started experimenting with painting biblical scenes. Portraits of people and their families were a trend in Amsterdam at the time. So, by 1631, he had many prominent Amsterdam residents commissioning portraits, and by 1632 he moved to the city, and practiced as a professional portraitist for the first time, eventually gaining a reputation as a famous portrait artist.


Rembrandt also painted many self-portraits and pictures of his own family members. His paintings were special in their own way. He captured a person’s personality and emotion on the canvas.
He also used light and shadow to create a mood. His energetic works gained him numerous commissions.

He painted many influential people many including the prince. He developed his own art style; in which he painted by using light and illumination. Some of his paintings like ‘Peter and Paul Disputing’, and ‘Returning the Pieces of Silver’ were based on the concept of light.

Met with Hendrick Unlenburgh

Rembrandt met statesman Huygens, who proved to be a useful acquaintances for the artist. Huygens often appreciated Rembrandt’s paintings and even helped the artist sell paintings to the court of The Hague. For the next few years, Rembrandt stayed an art dealer named Hendrick Unlenburgh. Hendrick was the resorted paintings. With Hendrick, Rembrandt met many who commissioned him for their portraits.


Rembrandt also enjoyed painting dramatic, biblical and mythological scenes in high contest and a large format. Some such works were’ The Rising of Lazarus’, ‘The Return of the Prodigal Son’ and ‘The Visitation’. Later, he began to paint landscapes which highlighted drama.


He used to draw uprooted trees and gloomy skies in his landscapes. Some of his landscape paintings are the ‘Winter Scene’, ‘Landscape with a Stony Bridge’ and ‘Stormy landscape’. He painted them on a large canvas and it took him days to finish one painting.

Some Great Works by Rembrandt

During 1640, his paintings became less playful and more serious in tone. Biblical pictures were now derived more often from the New Testament that the Old Testament. Another one of Rembrandt mantelpieces was called ‘The Night Watch’. His most famous work was a large portrait of Captain Banning Cocq and his military men.

He painted each man a little differently so it looked more like a giant action scene. He used his famous light and shadow technique for his project. Another important work of his was the painting “The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp’. It became a much-discussed piece in the medical world. It was an oil painting in which he’d portrayed the famous Dutch surgeon.

Achievements and Death of Rembrandt

Rembrandt married Saskia van Uylenburgh in 1634. His family was marked by many personal tragedies, which he also depicted in his paintings. His wife died young which left him devastated.
Rembrandt earned a lot of money from his art projects throughout his career and thus owned a large house. However, in 1657 it was sold along with his other possessions. He died on 4th October, 1669 in Amsterdam. Rembrandt is considered to be one of the greatest artists in the history of art most significant Dutch painter of all time.

Some Masterpieces

• Peter and Paul Disputing
• Returning the Pieces
• were based on the concept of light
• The Rising of Lazarus
• The Return of the Prodigal Son
• The Visitation
• Winter Scene
• Landscape with a Stony Bridge
• Stormy landscape
• The Night Watch
• The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp