Rembrandt, With a Complete List of His Etchings

Rembrandt, With a Complete List of His Etchings

The formal style of art, the essence of line-engraving, reached its zenith in Albrecht Drer. And Drer was so great a master that human feeling told through the medium of the severest formalism. But it was not till a century later that human expression found its full outlet in an artist whose sympathy was at once penetrating and comprehensive, who perfected a medium capable of the most spontaneous rendering of the deepest as well as the most fleeting emotions of life. As a painter Rembrandt was chiefly devoted to portraiture, a devotion no doubt largely due to the conviction that its study gives the most immediate opportunity for depicting human character. [pg 6] But it must also be confessed that the overwhelmingly large proportion of portraits to other subjects in his painted work may be partly owing to the demands of clients. That it was not entirely so is immediately evident when one considers the master's untiring industry in painting portraits of himself after his popularity had waned, and commissions nearly ceased. Nevertheless as works for the most part uncommissioned and less lucrative than the paintings, we may take it that the etchings are a true reflection of the actual tendency of Rembrandt's genius when least affected by demands from outside. In his etched work we find that portraits are much less numerous, and by far the largest place is given to the subjects from scripture, treated with the same reality that characterises his sketches from daily life. ......Buy Now (To Read More)

Product details

Ebook Number: 31183
Author: Hind, Arthur Mayger
Release Date: Feb 5, 2010
Format: eBook
Language: English

Contributors

Illustrator: Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, 1606-1669