Table of contents:
- About the artist
- Self-portrait 1636-1638
- Self-portrait of 1659
- The most expensive self-portrait
- Why did Rembrandt create so many self-portraits?
Video: What is famous for the most expensive self-portrait of Rembrandt, and why the artist painted a huge number of his portraits
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
Yes, Rembrandt can be called an artist who doesn't need models. The master painted a huge number of portraits of his wife Saskia and even more self-portraits (over 80!). One of the latter was named the most expensive work of Rembrandt. The self-portrait went under the hammer for a record $ 18.7 million. There is an interesting theory as to why the artist actually created so many personal portraits.
About the artist
Rembrandt's works remain some of the world's most valuable works of all time. The Dutch artist who dominated the Golden Age left a mark that his arch rivals have not been able to erase until now. His work has become part of the permanent exhibitions of the most famous museums in the world. Rembrandt has painted so many self-portraits (80!) That the changes in his appearance prompt us to appreciate his mood and period of life. Comparing his self-portraits, we seem to read these images. This is a graphic autobiography of Rembrandt. To write so many of his own images (10% of the total number of works) was extremely much for any artist of that time. For comparison, a very hardworking artist and prolific Rubens painted only seven self-portraits.
Rembrandt's works are etchings, engravings, and canvases. Self-portraits-etchings are mostly informal, often playful, sketches express the expressive expressions of the artist's face, and in portraits Rembrandt shows himself in various costumes, in some works the clothes are extremely fashionable for that era. In others, he grimaces. His oil paintings reflect the progress from an insecure young man and highly successful portrait painter of the 1630s to disturbing but extremely powerful portraits of his old age. Together, they give a surprisingly clear idea of a person, his appearance and psychological makeup. Rembrandt is the only artist who made self-portrait one of the main means of artistic expression. It was he who turned the self-portrait into an autobiography. The second after him was Van Gogh.
Self-portrait 1636-1638
In his "Self-portrait of 1636-1638" from the Norton Simon Museum (in Pasadena, one of the suburbs of Los Angeles), Rembrandt depicted himself in profile in ¾, pensively looking into the eyes of the viewer. The master's eyebrows are slightly frowned, his face is tense. The image is familiar to the viewer, but, say, the pose is very distorted. His left hand is pressed to his chest, which is adorned with an expensive jacket. The trends in this garment go back to the costumes of the last century, which is Rembrandt's deliberate way of reconciling painting with Renaissance portraits intended to elevate the status of artists who have long been considered only artisans and not true craftsmen. His wealthy and aristocratic appearance is also impressive from the point of view of his economic capabilities: at that time, Rembrandt was on the verge of bankruptcy (which means that the image and reality do not match again). Dramatic lighting emphasizes this artificiality of the image.
Self-portrait of 1659
For example, here is one of the self-portraits with a life tragedy, written 20 years after the previous one. Rembrandt wrote this work in 1659 when, after years of success, he suffered financial failure. His spacious house in Amsterdam and other properties were auctioned off to pay off creditors.
And what do we see on the canvas? The corners of the eyebrows are lowered (this is sadness), the lips are tense (the person is not calm and not relaxed, something is clearly disturbing him). Despair and anxiety about the future can be read in the eyes. Deep-set eyes, looking directly at the viewer, express the wisdom gained from bitter life experience. By the way, the artist used a similar perspective, inspired by the famous portrait of Balthasar Castiglione by Raphael, which Rembrandt saw with his own eyes at an auction in Amsterdam in 1639.
The most expensive self-portrait
News feeds have reported that one of Rembrandt's many self-portraits was sold at a virtual auction in July this year for £ 14.5 million ($ 18.7 million) - a record price for a self-portrait of a Dutch master. This work of art from 1632 is made on an oak panel and depicts the young artist during the same time period when he recently settled in Amsterdam. In the work in question, the artist is dressed in black clothes with a white collar and a black hat with gold trimmings. This work is one of two in which the artist depicted himself as a wealthy young man.
Why did Rembrandt create so many self-portraits?
Rembrandt was one of the first pioneers of selfie portraits, who created about 80 paintings, prints and drawings of his image between the ages of 22 and 63, capturing various styles and moods. According to a number of art critics, Rembrandt created self-portraits in order to:
Character studies 2. exercises for depicting mood and light, 3. tried various complex costumes, 4. as well as to demonstrate a suitable style to the client, and then create a custom-made work.
It is likely that the artist painted his self-portraits in order to give potential buyers an idea of how he would portray them if they ordered a portrait from him. A very forward-thinking marketing ploy, isn't it? There is another interesting detail: did you notice that Rembrandt very rarely depicted his hands? The fact is that the self-portraits were created by the artist looking at himself in the mirror. Therefore, the hands are usually lowered or "fluently described." They remain on the “wrong side”, in the shadows.
All these works demonstrate Rembrandt's brilliant skills as a painter, psychological artist, as well as his deep knowledge of historical subjects and art history. His techniques and costumes not only glorify the historical genre, but also anticipate a future in which originality is created by the artist and humanity is expressed by personal images.
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