The Ar'st and Light Rembrandt did not specialize in one type of artwork but excelled in all subject ma<er He is most famous for bringing a new

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4 The Ar'st and Light Rembrandt did not specialize in one type of artwork but excelled in all subject ma<er He is most famous for bringing a new psychological depth to his portraiture, and for using light to illuminate the character both from without and from within, to define space by varying degrees of brightness, and to give life to that space through the flowing movement of shadows The harsh contrast of Caravaggio s styles here has given way to subtle grada'ons so that the light appears to be moving and subtly changing across the picture In the Renaissance they represented the idea of light, which was sta'c, rather than showing how human s perceive light, which is ever- changing By capturing the actual gradahons of light Rembrandt could render nuances of character and mood his use of light allows us to read emohonal differences and feelings 4

5 Dr. Tulp s Anatomy Class His first important commission was from the local Guild of Surgeons and Physicians The composihon combines group portraiture of the corpora'on type and scienhfic pictures The subjects are the heads of the guild and other prominent cihzens whose name appear on the sheet of paper held by the central figure He has grouped the figures on different levels to achieve a sense of candor and informality we are welcome to join them The grouping is dissected by the dramahc diagonal of the corpse The use of light reveals individual reachons and expressions some watch with intensity while others ignore the demonstrahon The fullest light is focused on the corpse and the hands of Dr. Tulp heightening the drama In the bo<om right an addihon of Vesalius s Anatomy is open the authority on Anatomy by the Dutch scienhst Adries van Wesel Dr. Tulp fashioned himself as Vesalius Revived The portrait serves as a drama'za'on of the spirit of scien'fic inquiry in the Age of Observa'on 5

6 Group portraits of military units that fought against the Spanish were a common subject for corpora'on portraits AVer the defeat of the Spanish and regaining of Dutch Independence most men who fought in these units became shop keepers. However, they would enjoy dressing up and posing as warrior for holiday parades thus the corpora'on portrait became a popular means to commemorate their prideful service This was one of several group portraits commissioned for Amsterdam s new Musketeer Hall Most depichons of military units show the men gathered around a banquet table or standing in orderly fashion To get life and movement into his picture, Rembrandt chose to show Captain Cocq s company in ac'on, as if responding to a call of genuine duty What they are really doing is gehng ready for the parade we are watching them rushing around in the act of organizing themselves As if paying homage to the painhng s assigned locahon and its patrons Rembrandt shows men in the various stages of preparing a musket: loading, firing and readying the weapon for reloading Just off center, illuminated by the brightest light is the Captain and his Lieutenant the shadow of the Captain s hand defines the source of the light The girls to the lev is unidenhfied from her bet hang a powder horn and white cockerel which may allude to the captain s name It was not his intenhon to show the men at night but the varnish has darkened the painhng considerably over Hme SHll, Rembrandt used lights and darks to create dramahc effect and movement 6

7 From Riches to Rags Self Portrait with Saskia Has successfully established himself in Amsterdam Marries Saskia, a daughter of a wealthy family Is enjoying material prosperity Depicts himsled in a cavalier costume. His young wife, si]ng on his knee, partakes in the enjoyment and self- celebrahon as he raises a toast to his audience From 1640 on he suffers a series of tragedies His mom dies, and then his wife An alienated lover sues him publicly for money By 1650 his painhng style is no longer en vogue He goes bankrupt in 1656 His son dies in 1668 The effect of these tragedies are recorded in the manner in which he depicts himself Self Portrait 1656 The light is now an internal glow as he peers into the depths of his own mind and feelings It is not merely about the world of appearances but inward self appraisal He depicts a true- to- life face, marked with worry behind his eyes, as he peer s into his own fate His eyes do not meet ours but look past us in contemplahon 7

8 NOT A PORTRAIT It is a painhng of a painter, Vermeer, painhng another painhng The painter, Vermeer, wears a costume from the 16th century (alluding to the history of painhng and it s accomplishments in the Renaissance. Thus placing the achon in the past The painter is painhng a woman dressed as Clio the muse of history She holds a book about the lives of Dutch painters. While the trumpet signifies fame = thus celebra'ng the great history and success of Dutch pain'ng On the table are a book and death mask. These symbolize literature and sculpture (the other arts in addihon to music and painhngs). The death mask also serves as a VANITAS. Asking us to reflect upon what an ar'st accomplishes in their life'me The map on the wall indicate the pride of the Dutch in their country, and serves as yet another reminder of history The light streaming in through the window can be read as the light of inspirahon The en're works serves to elevate the important role art plays in serving, recording, maintaining and shaping history The viewer stands just outside the painhng, separated by the curtain Like all of Vermeer s work it is a quiet and objechve scene, where the subjects are unaware of being watched or painted. There is no dramahc achon or visible internal conflict. It is marked by detached serenity. The a<enhon to detail and capturing of light the eye could not see suggests that he used a camera obscura 8

9 Rembrandt tried to penetrate the world of appearances. Vermeer studied appearances Rembrandt s light is the glow of the human spirit. Vermeer s is the light that floods through the window Rembrandt was concerned with moral beauty. Vermeer was concerned with physical beauty 9

10 A type of portraiture mad especially popular by Vermeer was pain'ngs of quiet interiors with the wife and daughter performing a household chore Yet this painhng, like vanitas shll lives, is full of hidden meaning The woman stands before a window, on the table below her is an arrangement of jewelry The perspechve does not draw our a<enhon to her face but to what she is holding in her hands a balance for weighing gold The scales however are empty Vermeer was a Catholic who converted in the Protestant Dutch Republic Saint IgnaHus advised Catholics to balance one s sins with virtues The mirror before the woman may symbolize self knowledge as she contemplates the balance in her life. But it may also symbolize vanity, as does the gold and pearls on the table On the back wall is a painhng of the Last Judgment reminding us of the weighing of the souls and beckoning the need to live a life of free of earthly temptahons and worldly riches remember the new wealth of the merchant class brought them the pleasure of owning things but this pleasure was tempered by strict morals and the contempla'on of death (vanitas s'll life) The composihon is classical serenity think Aphrodite of Knidos. Vermeer almost exclusively painted quiet domeshc scenes illuminated by a window A<enHon to detail is key Vermeer recognized that light was made of color and that colors influence one another. Thus there are colors in his shadows and reflechons (camera obscura) 10