Rembrandt. History Painter

When Rembrandt moved his studio from Leiden to Amsterdam around 1631-33, he did so as a partner of the dealer Hendrick Uylenburgh—whose niece Saskia he married in 1634; Uylenburgh sought out customers and the artist executed the pictures and directed a workshop of painters. Rembrandt soon became the most successful artist in the city. Although his fame initially stemmed from his splendid portraits (The Anatomy Lesson in the Museo Mauritshuis Museum in The Hague dates from this period), he also produced many history paintings, the most elite genre. Rembrandt was well versed in the history of European painting from the Renaissance onwards, chiefly through prints, of which he had a large collection. His painting reflects his knowledge of tradition and also his critical attitude towards it: he sought to emulate the great artists of the past, but also aspired to be a great painter with a language of his own.

Rembrandt enjoyed his period of greatest success from his arrival in Amsterdam to approximately 1645. His engravings led his works to be widely disseminated across Europe. Constatijn Huygens’s support procured him commissions from the court of Frederik Hendrik of Orange and Amalia van Solms in The Hague, and he found clients among the haute bourgeoisie of Amsterdam. In 1639 he acquired an elegant, costly house in Sint Antonisbreestraat in Amsterdam. He finished painting The Night Watch (Amsterdam, Rijksmueum) in 1642 and his wife Saskia died that same year.

These are the years in which Rembrandt’s manner of painting comes closest to that of Rubens, whom he emulates without ceasing in his quest for a language of his own. In his paintings Rembrandt combines intensity and drama with a feeling of proximity, and revels in the textures of materials.

Beginning in approximately 1645, a radical change can be witnessed in Rembrandt’s style. The extroverted expressions and dynamism of his compositions give way to calm and psychological concentration. The physical vigour that is characteristic of Rembrandt’s earlier human figures is transformed into spiritual vigour. In many areas of the paintings thick brushstrokes hint at forms rather than defining them. The importance Rembrandt attaches to an apparently unfinished execution in his final years is surprising. According to Arnold Houbraken (1660-1719), one of Rembrandt’s earliest biographers, the artist stated that “a painting is finished when the master has achieved his aims”. With this statement Rembrandt asserted his independence as a creator and also his belief that the aims of painting go beyond merely capturing the appearance of things.