Rembrandt and the self-portrait: 4 important works

Within Rembrandt's prolific work, his self-portraits stand out, being him one of the most productive artists within this genre. At unPROFESOR.com we tell you more about Rembrandt and the self-portrait.

Rembrandt (1606-1669) was one of the great figures of the art of the Dutch Golden Age, considered one of the most influential painters of Western art. Dutch painter, engraver and draughtsman, Rembrandt made around 80 self-portraits in which he showed us his artistic and personal trajectory and evolution throughout his life. Some works in which the painter not only left us testimony of his physical appearance, but also showed us what his psychological and emotional state was.

In this lesson from unPROFESOR.com we offer you a tour of some of the painter's most famous self-portraits, as well as telling you the characteristics of the self-portrait in Rembrandt.

Between the Rembrandt's best-known self-portraits "The painter in his studio" (1626-1628) stands out. This is the Rembrandt's first self-portrait

and it is an oil on canvas that has dimensions of 25.5 x 32 centimeters and that is currently kept in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston (USA). In the painting he shows us his small and austere studio, although he presents himself elegantly dressed so that we know that he is no longer an apprentice and we are in front of his painting studio.

A space that he paints with great detail, letting us see the cracks in the walls, their humidity, and so on. In the foreground you can see an easel of the artist, then 20 years old, and he captures just the moment in which he takes a few steps away from it and, brush in hand, goes over his work to make changes. A box full of sensationalism typical of the Baroque and in which Rembrandt is very detailed.

Rembrandt was his own model for him for the study of facial expressions and the effects of light and shadow. It is a small oil on board, with some dimensions. 22.5 x 18.6 cm. It is currently on display at the Rijksmuseum.

The painter portrays himself as a young man, he is 22 years old, and he shows us great self-confidence by placing himself in the shadow area against a bright wall when it used to be the other way around, a lot of light against a dark background. Thus, it is only possible to see a part of the illuminated face, constituting a true exercise on light and shadows.

Rembrandt liked to dress elegantly and, although he was not in the war, in this self-portrait he appears dressed in a small metallic ruff from which the collar of the shirt protrudes. His well-groomed hair and serious, confident, and intelligent gaze speak to us of an artist already with a certain name and well-to-do.

The painter uses a dark palette in which the white of the food and the reddish touch of the mouth stand out. A painting in which he uses chiaroscuro in the style of Caravaggio and the thick brushstrokes typical of his style. We are before a etching curious about Rembrandt's amused and amazed expression and which coincides with his first successes as a painter after his training in Amsterdam with Pieter Lastman (1583 – 1633) Baroque Dutch painter.

An etching that fits within the studies of human expressions and the movement that the painter carried out portraying himself.

Rembrandt appears here at an excellent moment in his life. His social situation has improved, he has married his Saskia Uylenburg (Leeuwarden, 1612-Amsterdam, 1642), his first wife and she is happy as she has already shown in other previous self-portraits, one of them with Saskia herself as a co-star.

The painter is elegantly dressed and appears leaning his arm against a wall and looking defiantly at the viewer. A typical pose of Renaissance portraits and reminiscent of the portrait of raphael Made by Casteglione.

Don't miss the commentary and analysis of Rembrandt's The Night Watch.

This self-portrait is an etching in which Rembrandt is portrayed with a serious look and working. He is sitting by a window and is preparing to write or draw on some papers. At this point in his life, the painter has already lost Saskia, who died in 1642 after giving birth to her son Titus. Rembrandt was shocked by the loss of her and from then on he began a somewhat convulsed life both due to debts and his love life.

In this self-portrait, Rembrandt presents us with a scene invaded by a strong contrast between light that enters through the window and the shadows of the workshop.

This is one of the Rembrandt's last self-portraits and he presents himself to the viewer in a realistic way, without hiding any feature of his face: neither the wrinkles, nor his dark circles or his already somewhat obese figure. The painter leaves us the testimony of a tired man punished by debts and losses in his life and stares at us to present the only thing he has left: his work tools and his talent.

this self portrait He is known by the circles behind his figure, two world maps are supposed, decorative elements very present in the houses of the Dutch. The painter uses a very loose brushstroke, leaving some details only presented, unfinished.