THE SYNDICS
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THE SYNDICS
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Rembrandt Harmenszoon (son of Harmen) van Rijn (REM brant vahn RINE) was born in the Netherlands in the city of Leiden (LY d'n). His family wanted him to get a good education and provided opportunities for him to study with successful artists. Among them was Pieter Lastman in Amsterdam.
Rembrandt was very talented and soon moved back to Leiden and began to teach other artists even though he was only 22 years old.
Upon his return to Amsterdam, he opened an art studio at the house of a famous art dealer. The man had a niece named Saskia, who later became Rembrandt's wife. He and Saskia had four children, but only one child, Titus, survived. Poor Titus. His mother died when he was only a year old.
A young girl, Hendrickje would become his mother, and later would give him a little sister, Cornelia. Rembrandt used Saskia and Hendrickje as his models for several paintings.
Rembrandt self-portrait 1661
This great Dutch artist was very popular with the people and he painted many pictures. He enjoyed painting pictures of Bible characters and scenes of Bible stories. During his lifetime he produced over 600 paintings and made more than a thousand etchings and drawings. Because he was so prolific in his work, you can see his paintings in museums and galleries all over the world today.
He bought a large house; really much larger than he could afford, and he collected many works of art. His collection included works by such famous artists as Raphael (RAHF a-el) and Titian (TISH an). Some of these paintings today hang in galleries such as the Louvre (LOO vr') in Paris, France and the National Gallery in London. Eventually he had to declare bankruptcy, and his house, furniture and art collection were sold at auction to pay the people to whom he owed money.
Rembrandt painted about 100 portraits of himself. Sometimes the portrait was a study (a practice picture) he would make in preparation for another painting he was planning to do.
The Syndics, our featured painting, is an interesting work. The men in the picture belong to a guild or a group of clothmakers. They commissioned Rembrandt to paint this portrait of their group. When it was finished they possibly hung it on the wall of their clubhouse or office. As they walked by it each day they had no way of knowing how important the painting would be to the world in 300 years.
One of his most famous paintings is The Nightwatch which shows a group of men in their military uniforms. A war had recently ended in the country and the men were dressed up for a military practice. In this painting we see Rembrandt's use of light and shadow which makes his work so distinctive. If you visited Amsterdam today you could see this painting as well as The Syndics. You could also see the house where he and Saskia lived, and you could visit his studio.
Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists: Rembrandt
By Grolier Publishing Company
Introduce your young students to the fabulous and fun world of art with the World's Greatest Artists Series. Full-color reproductions and kid-friendly overviews of the artists' life are presented alongside cartoon-characters of the artist, bringing a clever dimension to the series. Fun and educational, these light yet realistic books make an easy and exciting transition into studying the fine arts. 3pages, ages 4-8.
Rembrandt DVD Dutch Masters
By Kultur International Films
Some art lovers believe that Rembrandt's abilities as a portraitist have never been surpassed, and it is, perhaps his famous series of self-portraits that best demonstrate his genius. Painted over the course of his life, they reveal nothing less than Rembrandt himself, as he was when he was alive.There is often a sadness in these images, perhaps unsurprisingly as Rembrandt suffered many difficulties during his life, including: bankruptcy, torrid affairs, and the death of loved ones. His paintings characteristically depict group portraits, landscapes, and religious work. Many of these images were produced as etchings, confirming Rembrandt's mastery of the line drawing as well as conveying the drama of great Biblical events. When he died in 1669, he left behind an incredible body of work whose qualities have been matched by few other artists of history, if at all. The Great Artists also features leading authorities, art historians and scholars. Running time: 50 minutes.
Paintings by Rembrandt
Biography of Rembrandt
Biography of Rembrandt
from World of Biography
Rembrandt
one man show
Rembrandt
self portrait
Online book about Rembrandt
by Josef Israels
The Nightwatch, circa 1642
Giclee Print
Rembrandt...
Buy at AllPosters.com
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