S-au pastrat mai mult de 90 de autoportrete ale lui Rembrandt, oglinzi fidele ale unei vieti schimbatoare. Dupa o cariera stralucitoare, viata i-a fost umbrita de mai multe tragedii. Acest autoportret executat in anul mortii, 1669, reprezinta un batranel care a acceptat toate loviturile care i-au fost sortite in viata.

Rondul de noapte

Unul dintre cuvintele care a intampinat aceasta lucrare (Rondul de noapte), a fost “Scandal”, folosit de contemporanii lui Rembrandt care au asociat tabloul cunoscut si sub numele de “Defilarea Artileristilor” considerat astazi o capodopera.

Cu toate acestea Rembrandt a ajuns pe culmile succesului in 1642, cand a terminat Rondul de noapte, probabil cea mai renumita dintre operele sale. Aceasta lucrare a simbolizat pentru Rembrandt adunarea într-un întreg a tot ceea ce crease anterior, dar si un nou inceput. El a desfasurat in aceasta lucrare, probabil cea mai celebra, o uimitoare, fascinanta virtuozitate al carei efect este  la fel de maret astazi ca si atunci. Chiar numai executia detaliilor, metalul stralucind splendid, stofa care luceste, diferitele piese de echipament si, inca mai mult, modelarea expresiilor elocvente, a gesturilor concise si efectele uluitoare de iluminare sunt in cel mai inalt grad artistice. S-ar parea ca posibilitatile inerente reprezentarii descriptive au fost epuizate.

Este o adevarata capodopera lucrata in ulei pe panza, este semnata si datata in anul realizarii (1642). Rondul de noapte va impresiona intotdeauna lumea ca o strafulgerare a geniului, in ciuda tuturor criticilor indreptate impotriva lui. Faima sa revilizeaza cu cea a Eroicei lui Beethoven si cu a Capelei Sixtine de Michelangelo. Probabil ca e mai mult decat o simpla coincidenta faptul ca toate cele trei capodopere au fost create de barbati in jurul varstei de 35 de ani, o varsta la care inflacararea tineretii se uneste adesea in mod fericit cu forta virila si cu maestria. Subiectul Rondului de noapte era simplu, iesirea unei companii de burghezi la parada sau la un concurs de trageri. Titlul este impropriu; tema însasi oferea putine posibilitati de desfasurare unei actiuni dramatice in maretul stil baroc pe care-l prefera Rembrandt in decursul primei perioade de la Amsterdam. Modul sau de tratare a ridicat aceasta ocazie destul de obisnuita la rangul unui spectacol de un farmec pictural de neuitat.

Din suprafata panzei s-au taiat, in anul 1715, 30 cm din înaltime si 65 cm din latime, cu ocazia transportarii ei la primaria din Amsterdam. Se cunoaste starea ei initiala, datorita unei copii din secolul al XVII-lea si a unei acuarele pictata pe la anul 1650 pentru albumul familiei Cocq. A fost curatata si restaurata în anul 1946.

Titlul exprima impresia produsă odinioara de tabloul murdar. In realitate este vorba de o scena de zi iar lumina soarelui determina umbre purtate, foarte vizibile. Panza il infătiseaza pe capitanul F. Banning Cocq, senior de Purmerland, dand ordin locotenentului sau, Willem van Ruytenborch, senior de Vlaerdingen, de a porni compania in mars. Comandantul Frans Banning Cocq ar fi vrut sa iasa mai mult in evidenta in acest urias tablou.

In locul sublinierii pedante a fiecarui portret in parte, Rembrandt a subordonat cu indrazneala aceasta trasatura traditionala interesului unei actiuni unitare. El a ales momentul chemarii la arme, cand bate toba si membrii garzii vin din toate partile ca sa se adune in spatele comandantilor.

Sunt examinate in graba armele, incarcate sau puse pe umar in timp ce oamenii sunt in miscare. Grupul include mult mai multi decat numarul real al companiei. Copiii alearga de jur imprejur, cainii latra la tobosar, un baiat aflat in mijlocul grupului, pentru a marii zarva, trage un foc. Compania inainteaza in pozitie, dar nu s-a ajuns la o formatie ordonata si efectul este cel al miscarii de valuri.

Pentru a aprecia compozitia la intreaga ei valoare, trebuie sa se studieze copia contemporana a Rondului de noapte, facuta de Gerrit Ludens, prezentand scena asa cum a conceput-o Rembrandt. In 1715 pictura originala a fost mutata de la locul ei din Casa Breslei companiilor de puscasi la Primaria din Amsterdam si cu aceasta ocazie a fost taiata pe toate cele patru parti pentru a incapea in locul sau nou, intre doua usi. Pierderea cea mai mare a fost pe partea stanga si de-a lungul marginii de jos. Aceasta reducere strica efectul general si numai copia lui Ludens ne poate da o idee despre compozitie in starea ei “nemutilata”.

Numele “Rondul de Noapte” nu a aparut decat la inceputul secolului al XIX-lea. Lucrarea se inscrie in traditia portretului de corporatii. Satisfacand dorinta clientilor de a-si vedea figura fidela si foarte vizibila, artistul a reusit sa compuna, incetul cu incetul, grupuri armonioase si insufletite; Rembrandt respecta legile genului, el organizand o scena grandioasa in jurul a 3 personaje principale obisnuite, capitanul, locotenentul si stegarul, in cazul nostru Jan Visscher si infatiseaza in mod magistral, singularitatea acestora. El însufleteste tabloul lasandu-i, totodata caracterul unui portret colectiv. Geniul sau nu se putea insa multumi cu aceste calitati, nici cu redarea fidela a stofelor, dantelelor sau a ornamentelor in care, in mod vizibil, rivalizeaza stralucit cu F. Hals. Indrazneata inovatie a lui Rembrandt, de a transforma un portret de grup intr-o multime animata dramatic, izvoraste dintr-un impuls cu adevarat baroc. El a creat o extraordinara explozie de miscare, de cea mai mare complexitate, inlaturand toate reminiscentele statice, pe care traditia Renasterii continuase sa le impuna inaintasilor sai. Barocul a favorizat atat complexitatea cat si unificarea miscarii, iar Rembrandt a reusit sa le exprime aici pe amandoua, subordonand in mod subtil diversitatea actiunii unei tendinte concentrice a intregului.

Miscarea de inaintare a celor doi ofiteri din fata este factorul decisiv in batalia generala a directiilor. Influenta ei dominanta in compozitie se bazeaza in primul rand pe proeminenta si realismul izbitor al acestor doua figuri, dar este sustinuta si de accente din celelalte parti ale compozitiei. Astfel diagonala lancii locotenentului, marcand directia miscarii inainte din coltul drept din spate, se repeta in diagonalele paralele ale muschetei si lancii, deasupra si in spate. Si diagonala contrastanta a bastonului capitanului este subliniata de doua accente oblice, paralele, de pe partea dreapta, muscheta din planul al doilea si drapelul din al treilea. Varietatea miscarilor, atat in adancimea cat si la suprafata tabloului, este dusa cat se poate de departe, fara a se intrerupe in mod serios tendinta de inaintare, dominanta.

Contribuie la acest efect si o vie diferentiere a nivelelor, la fel ca si  activitatea figurilor individuale. Capetele apar la inaltimi diferite, copiii strabat prin gloata, oamenii se apleaca sa-si incarce armele. Rembrandt pentru a inalta grupurile din spate, a introdus in fundal trepte. In ce priveste miscarea figurilor individuale, este clar ca artistul a folosit directii contrastante atat pentru a diversifica, cat si pentru a unifica actiunea din intreaga compozitie.

Cateva exemple ar putea ilustra acest fapt important. Directiile contrastante ale figurii stegarului leaga grupul din spate cu cel din stanga, iar diagonala drapelului sau confera un accent in plus pasului de inaintare a celor doi comandanti. Sergentul de pe dreapta, cu bratul drept intins si cu halebarda indreptata in fata, peste umarul stang, leaga figurile din jurul si din spatele sau cu grupul central. O functie similara are sergentul de pe stanga, asezat pe zidul care ingradeste canalul. Figura sa dreapta si halebarda tinuta vertical ajuta de asemenea la stavilirea miscarii multimii care navaleste din spate.

Barocul se naste si dintr-un ecleraj multiplu, din victoria luminii asupra umbrei, dintr-o veritabila orgie de culori. Pe fondul suav brun – roscat si brun – verzui, in jurul vestei negre cu esarfa stacojie a capitanului, a costumului galben deschis al locotenentului, pictorul distribuie din belsug tonurile calde, rosuri vermillon, rosuri purpurii, galbenuri, verde-auriu, nuantate de tente fine si proaspete, cum este albastrul ca turcoaza. Tusa variaza, minutioasa, lisa, viguroasa. Visul si poezia iși adauga misterul lor. Cine sunt cele doua fetite, dintre care una poarta pe o tava un fazan bine garnisit iar cealalta un cocoș agatat la centura? Niste vivandiere pentru ospatul care va urma dupa concurs, copiii capitanului, purtand premiul rezervat invingatorului, figurante care umplu un gol si ofera prilejul interventiei unei lumini necesare? Insa, in rochiile lor frumoase, una de culoarea smaraldului cu reflexe argintii, alta de aur stralucitor, ele constituie o aparitie feerica. In felul acesta, Rembrandt da un accent epic unei scene din viata burgheza si prin geniul sau, face sa reinvie amintirea unui trecut glorios. Tabloul, culme a artei secolului, in care poate ca se regaseste amintirea Lanciilor lui Velasquez, a avut un mare rasunet. S-a spus, fara temei, ca n-ar fi placut; insa un contemporan al pictorului a notat că Rembrandt isi castigase prin aceasta lucrare “o mare faima asa cum putini au obtinut-o in tara sa”.

Jurnalul familiei Cocq i-a consacrat un loc  important: tabloul odata terminat, s-au inscris intr-un cartus, numele personajelor; in anul 1715 panza a fost instalata in primaria orasului: toate acestea dovedesc ca olandezii au considerat intotdeauna Rondul de noapte ca o capodopera.

Mint Museum

I have spent an internship there putting together games for kids in the Education department back in 2004.  The last time I visited there?  2007 (I think).  It has changed a lot since I last visited there.

For the first time, its permanent exhibit that starts with the Ancient Americas and ends with English portraiture, it feels like a mature museum.  Furthermore, you start with Pre-Columbian art, than African art, than Asian art before you come to the European eras of art.  A rather clever change to the usual “stick the non-Western art in a tiny space.”  A common complaint I learned during my undergrad years.  If you visit this lovely place, I recommend taking one of their free maps.  Without one, you will not walk around in a linear fashion.  On the plus side, the wall color schemes do not overpower the artwork, but complements them in a subtle way.

Regardless of culture and era, furniture, clothing, and textiles also feature throughout the whole museum.  Makes sense, because North Carolina has roots in the textile and furniture industry (the buildings that I drive by when I travel around attest to this).  One of the current exhibits called The Art of Influence: Haute Couture and Luxury Fashion 1947-2007 devotes itself to shoes, clothing, handbags, and old Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar adverts from the forties and fifties.  They featured the heavies of the fashion industry even those not even in the know in this show.  Companies such as Versace, Armani, Yves Saint Laurent and Chanel feature clothes that range  from the exquisite to the mediocre.  Some lesser known fashion designers such as Hanae Mori and Nettie Rosenstein had their place.

Image via Photobucket and photofoxygirl

However, what’s a Southern museum without a pottery exhibit?  The North Carolina parts define themselves largely by families of potters.  Such as the Webster, Fox and Moravian Jugtown families.  The Moravian part gave me a sense of pride because I have roots there.  They do feature the big companies such as Wedgwood.  China, Japan, England, America, and some parts of Europe pepper throughout this show.  For the huge Chinese (BC 206-AD 1279) exhibit, they title the pottery by emperors that reigned when artists created the works.  They do mention the eras (Tang, Song, and Wei).  This show featured, in my opinion, the best pottery.  My favorite came from Chongzeign Reign from 1628 to 1644.   I also enjoyed one piece of pottery from Wanli-late Ming period.  I found pierced work beautiful and delicate, as most Ming works displayed here were.

These works featured also act as a historical window to the past such as the “Figure of a Semitic Merchant” from 618-907 AD.  Another good one came from the Yongzheng “Tea Dust Glass Vase” dated from 1723-1735.  It looked like multiple vases joined to make one.  Another favorite comes from Reign of Kangxi from 1662 to 1722.  The wine pot and cover displayed resembled bamboo.  I also enjoyed looking at pottery from the Qianlong reign from 1736 to 1795.  Titled “Reticulated teapot and cover red stoneware” it has the image of  Eight Buddhist Symbols of Happy Augury.  Lastly, I enjoyed the whimsical delight of the Blanc de chine with reptiles crawling all over the wine pot.

The 17th-20th century Japanese exhibit features mostly plates and cups with an incense holder carved into a cat.  However, the general color scheme feels so kitschy.  Another standout for me came from the European redware section that showcased pottery from 1700s.  The red color schemes of these wares felt so warm and inviting.  The museum divided the dominant English (1600-1700s) section by companies and regions.  Regions such as Staffordshire, Whieldon, and Bristol had huge collections devoted to them.  Companies such as Wedgwood celebrated their variety from pottery with designs that hearkened back to the red and black paintings of the Classical era.  Regarding Bristol, I recommend looking at their armorial plaques.  The artist carved the decorative porcelain flowers so fine it looks like it came from paper material.  This pottery exhibit also features a diorama of well dressed English patrons with a mural behind them.  They look like they are observing their fine collection of pottery that they have collected over the years.

If you start at the beginning of the permanent exhibit, you begin with the Ancient Americas.  For as long as I can remember, the Mint has always had this show.  This large section has work from all over Central and South America.  However, the labeling may confuse people, because they veer from labeling something from a tribe such as the Olmec or Mayan.  Then they label a work from a certain country such as Ecuador, Guatemala, Escuintla, Teotihuacan, and Mexico.  They also feature art from other places/ethnic groups such as the Colima, Nayarit, and the Jalisco.  I recommend checking out the Moche valley section with their animal pots such as a “Crab effigy vessel” and a ”Frog spout bottle.”  Finally, I loved the painted pottery of Chavin and the Paracas.

The Spanish colonial section of the museum has a lot of sculpture and paintings of saints, mostly of Peruvian origin, with the occasional Colombian and Ecuadorian piece.  All of these artworks from the silver crown to the sculptures of Christ in his bloody last days had no names.

The contemporary Mayan section featured clothes of huipils and trajes by Tz’utujil and Kaqchikel Mam.  Further down had displays of performance masks of Mexico known as the Moros y Cristianos.  According to the caption box, the Michoacan masks represents the 17th-18th Africans who mediated between spanish and indians.  I must say, I enjoyed that little remembered piece of history.  They also had the most delightful devil masks.  In another room contained works by members of  the Pueblo and the Hopi.  They had many excellent artists such as Jacquie Stevens, Andrew Padilla, Virgil Ortiz, and Louis Naranjo.

The African art  section has its own small room.  Despite the size, each piece comes from a tribe from the continent.  The Ashanti, Yoruba, Djenne, Bankoni, Bura, Igbo, Nupe, Dakakari, Yaka, Kuba, Burkina Faso, Mende, Jola, dan, Bassa, Edo, and Bamana all have a place.  Furthermore, all works came from the  late twentieth century.

One especially quirky and funny exhibit comes from The History of Platform Shoes.  Mostly coming from North America and Japan, they shoes displayed as early as the 1930s.  For a visual aid next to the Asian section, they displayed two modern woodblock prints by Utagawa Kunisada and Utagawa Kuniyasu.  The Japanese shoes start with the tiny Geta to the recent sandals.  From high fashion to the fetish, they exhibited a pair of thigh high boots to ”honor pole dancers everywhere.”  Shoes from the Goth subculture also have their own section.  More high fashion displays from the past come up as soon as a visitor leaves the room as encounters Chinese robes in a hallway from Manchu Qing Court that from 1644 to 1911.

Image via Photobucket and marven15

In the Renaissance section, they dedicated this space to artists even I, someone who has taken a lot of art history courses and visited Italy, did not know about.  I do recognize some names such as Domenico Morone and Ridolfi Ghirlandaio.  They also have a painting by Cosimo Rosselli, who according to the caption box, painted the Sistine Chapel besides Michelangelo.

The Baroque section also has a lot of artists who do not receive a lot of attention that say, Caravaggio or Annibale Carracci does.  Artists such Domenichino, Valero Costello,  Domenico Mondo, Francesco Guardi, Francesco del Rossi also decorate these walls.

The Dutch and Flemish Renaissance/Baroque room features artists ranging from the obscure to the very well-known.  One painting I liked came from an artist with the name Bruges master of 1480 with the painting Portrait of a Donor/A Skull in a Niche. This section does contain a Rembrandt sketch, and a painting by the School of Peter Paul Rubens, with his small painting entitled Salome with the Head of Saint John the Baptist.  The subject here ranges the genre painting to Greek myths.

The last room goes by the label, The Golden Age of English Art.  This space consists mostly of portraiture patronised by people who could afford it.  They do have some prints by artist James Gillray who satirized King George III.   Furthermore, since Charlotte has the nickname, ‘The Queen City’ this space has Allan Ramsey’s large portraits of Queen Charlotte and King George III.  One standout piece comes from a sedan chair that has an Angelica Kauffmann painting.  Regarding the color scheme of the museum, each space has a color that complements the works, and does not overtake them.

Image via Photobucket and Immagini

(Check out the tag section for more artists who have a space in the Mint.)

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn nasceu em 15 de julho de 1606, na cidade universitária de Leida , Holanda. Próxima a Amsterdã, na época Leida contava com cerca de 40 mil habitantes. Seu pai, Harmen Gerritszon van Rijn, um respeitável moleiro local, inscreveu Rembrandt na Universidade de Leida. Porém o destino do artista não seria a literatura, tal como imaginara seu pai, pois em poucos meses abandonou a universidade. Entre 1620 e 1623, tornou-se discípulo e, portanto, aprendiz do pintor holandês Jacob van Swanenburgh (1571-1638), que havia regressado a Leida após uma longa temporada na Itália. Em 1624, mudou-se para Amsterdã. Já decidido pela pintura e seduzido pelo espírito do Renascimento, Rembrandt freqüentou outros estúdios de pintura de famosos pintores, todos adeptos ao estilo italiano.

Casou-se com Saskia van Uylenburgh e apesar das tragédias que viveu na sua vida pessoal, fez muito sucesso como artista. Teve momentos de fama e glória, tornou-se um homem rico e, como tal, foi alçado à condição de prestigiado membro da alta sociedade holandesa. No auge da sua fama, recebia diversas encomendas, vivia um ritmo intenso de trabalho, ao mesmo tempo que crescia o número de aprendizes interessados em ter aulas com o “mestre”. Rembrandt era um impulsivo colecionador de obras de arte, influenciado pelo espírito dos marchands que viviam próximos dele. Mais tarde, viúvo e abalado emocionalmente, perdeu o controle sobre o seu negócio. O artista, não era bom administrador da sua fortuna e sua incontrolável febre colecionadora o levou a esbanjá-la em uma extensa série de duvidosas aquisições. Mergulhou-se em dívidas, foi obrigado a requisitar empréstimos e se comprometeu a amortizar suas obrigações no prazo de um ano, oferecendo como garantia seus bens e suas propriedades. Perdeu todo o patrimônio e acabou no final da sua vida sendo sustentado pelo seu filho, Titus.

A maneira com que Rembrandt trabalhava a luz sempre me fascinou, assim como Caravaggio. O que mais admiro nesses pintores é a maestria com que trabalhavam o contraste das altas e baixa luzes. Os retratos nas pinturas de Rembrandt são magníficos, não é atoa que na fotografia existe um esquema de luz intitulado: “iluminação Rembrandt”. Por esse motivo, não me surpreendi durante uma pesquisa sobre o pintor, descobrir que suas principais influências foram os pintores Caravaggio e Ticiano. De vez em quando, durante as minhas visitas em museus, registro algumas dessas pinturas para observá-las, depois, com mais calma.

No Museu Metropolitan de Nova York, tem alguns salões totalmente destinados a Rembrandt:

No Hermitage de São Petersburgo, Rússia, tem uma das obras mais famosas de Rembrandt:

Danae – 1636

Óleo sobre tela

185 X 202,5cm

Em 1985, essa tela foi danificada por um mitomaníaco que, em nome da moral, derramou um frasco de ácido sobre a obra e esfaqueou duas vezes. Imediatamente foi iniciado o processo de recuperação da tela, trabalho que se estendeu por muitos anos. Todo o processo de restauração foi revelado em 1997 na exposição “ O destino da obra-prima de Rembrandt”, realizada no próprio museu.

Vrouw met geldkistje

The Conspiration of the Bataves a painting of 1662 by Rembrandt van Rijn

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*) Source Wikipedia: “In the 16th-century invention of a suitably antique origin myth for the Dutch people that would be expressive of their self-identification as separate from their neighbors in the national struggle with Spain of the Eighty Years War for Dutch independence, the Batavians came to be regarded as their eponymous ancestors.[6] The mix of fancy and fact in the Cronyke van Hollandt, Zeelandt ende Vriesland (called the Divisiekronike), first published in 1517, brought the spare remarks in Tacitus’ newly-rediscovered Germania to a popular public; it was being reprinted as late as 1802.[7] Contemporary Dutch virtues of independence, fortitude and industry were rendered fully recognizable among the Batavians in more scholarly history represented in Hugo Grotius’ Liber de Antiquitate Republicae Batavicorum (1610). The myth was perpetuated by Romeyn de Hooghe’s Spiegel van Staat der Vereenigden Nederlanden (“Mirror of the State of the United Netherlands”, 1706), which also ran to many editions, and it was revived in the atmosphere of Romantic nationalism in the late eighteenth-century reforms that saw a short-lived Batavian Republic and, in the colony of the Dutch East Indies, a capital (now Jakarta) that was named Batavia. Modern variants of the Batavian founding myth are made more credible by pointing out that the Batavians were only part of the ancestry of the Dutch people, together with the Frisians, Franks and Saxons, and by tracing patterns of DNA. Echoes of this supposed cultural continuity may still be found in popularisations of the history that follows.”

Now, thanks to Ex-Blocker, one can eradicate an ex-lover– or anyone– from (one’s experience of) the web…

(TotH to Motherboard.)

As we duck and cover, we might wish a Gelukkige Verjaardag to that master of light and dark, Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn; he was born on this date in 1606.

Self-Portrait

. . . so your 25 megapixel camera don’t mean “squat” to me . . . photographs just replaced the time consuming “realistically” painted portraits and landscapes . . .

Rembrandt, “Portret van Haesje v.Cleyburg – 1634 . . .

. . . most people take “pictures” to record a moment in time, whether it be the wife or GF naked . . .

or a place . . .

it’s just a document, a “Kodak moment” . . . or has everyone forgotten the family photo album . . . you remember . . . grandma, grandpa, uncle Bob . . .

your favorite chickens?

I used some Rembrandt images because I like his work . . . someone (company) should make a “Rembrandt” commemorative camera . . .

Or maybe they already have . . . is this it . . . ??

. . . Jumbo Dutch Cardboard Camera Obscura . . . OMG . . . I NEED one of these !! AND some POP paper . . . I KNOW what a CO is . . . I would just close the lid on the viewing screen and count . . . “one thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three . . .” then take the paper out and check in image . . . OR . . . OR I COULD USE COMMERCIAL BLUEPRINT PAPER !!! . . . or do my own paper with cyano-type chems . . . I can do that shit you know . . . my mind is overloading . . .

The Fall of Man

Purchase it on Amazon

Available on Kindle, this tiny read goes through Rembrandt’s prints and explains how the artist created them.  He also gives a lot of historical context behind Rembrandt’s etchings.  However, if you have no interest in etching techniques, I suggest not reading this.  Peter Morse leaves no detail behind.  Plus, his writing can veer on the dry side.

The Little Children Being Brought to Jesus AKA The 100 Guilder Print

Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp

In his book, painter Jozef Israels focuses more on the financial aspects of Rembrandt.  He shows that the artist grew up in a wealthy family, but ended up in bankruptcy near the end of his life.  If you want to read his book, click here.  Israel’s obsession with Rembrandt’s finances emanate a sense of anger and frustration.  Probably because this comes from the fact that Rembrandt had such great talent with art, it still left him penniless and obscure at death.  Especially with the fame he held.  Speaking of the fame, Josef claimed that Rembrandt’s fame did him in.  He also portrays Rembrandt as a flighty person, especially when it came to money.  At the same time, he also condemns Dutch society for judging this man just because of his hard partying lifestyle.  Israel also perpetuates the “Nightwatch Backlash” myth.  However, after the biography on Rembrandt ends, Josef then talks all about his art and how he tries to imitate Rembrandt’s style.  He does make a curious assumption that a person cannot enjoy Dutch paintings unless they see all of them.  I enjoy them, and I have yet to see all of them.  This last section left me a little cold and put off by this man’s arrogance.  I know a lot of artists start out by imitating earlier artists, but were they ever like this man?

Nightwatch

The book by etcher Mortimer Luddington Menpes takes a vastly different angle.  To read his essay, click here. In a way, it almost acts as a historical fiction drama, with Rembrandt and his art acting as a supporting actor that affects a man identified as a golfer and his family.  I do not know how to feel about it, except that it sometimes annoys me.  However, Menpes does provide insight on how John Ruskin hated Rembrandt.  In between writing about the golfer’s son, Menpes gives descriptions of many of Rembrandt’s works and providing historical to each of them.  However, he too also perpetuates the “Nightwatch Backlash” myth.  On the other hand, Menpes does mention the Dorcas Society who supported the painting.  Interestingly, Menpes claims that the everyone recognizes Titan, Velasquez, and Rembrandt as the geniuses of the art world.  No da Vinci?  No Michelangelo?  Granted, the earlier artists focused bringing back the Classical era of Greece, where Menpes claims that genius shows us new ideas.  With this, one can see where he’s coming from.  He also refutes a lot of Rembrandt’s critics who accused the artist of not painting reality.  Ah, says Menpes, but Rembrandt only painted what he saw.

The Syndics of the Cloth Hall

All in all, both of these books talk about Rembrandt, but they also talk about themselves.  A lot.  Come to think of it, I hope I do not do much of that on my blog.  On a positive note, both authors praised Rembrandt for refusing to conform to whatever rules the art world tried to put upon him that still exist today.

The Private Diary’s Amazon link

Alan Passes wrote the text while Oscar Grillo created the illustrations.  Here, they created a fictional diary that Rembrandt wrote during the last years of his life.  In this book, “Rembrandt” writes about Holland, family, love of material goods, and his grieving of Saskia, his first wife.  Another plot point that ties this whole book together is a male angel that visits Rembrandt occasionally.  Next to the Nightwatching movie, this is the second story that showed Rembrandt seeing otherworldly people.  All in all, this fictional diary reminds me of Leonardo da Vinci’s Notebooks with their text and illustrations.  Is the book good?  Well, it follows Rembrandt’s life accurately.  The back of the book gives a timeline of Rembrandt’s life.  The writing creates a fun atmosphere, and it does resemble a diary with its mood changes and use of shorthand.  However, the writing from time to time will remind the reader that Passes wrote this and not Rembrandt.  The same problem occurs with the illustrations.  Oskar Grillo wants the viewer to resemble Rembrandt with his sketches, but their wildly different styles can take the viewer out of this mood.  On the other hand, some of Grillo’s illustrations were really good.  The simple illustrations add a nice sentimental touch to the book.  Furthermore, he does like to draw Rembrandt with a big nose.  Now, the portrait does show that Rembrandt did have one, but Grillo makes it so obvious, it becomes a supporting character.

All in all, this book is a cute, inoffensive read.

Furthermore, movies about artists often give directors, screenwriters, and other crew members an excuse to use strange camerawork and be as visual as possible.  Sometimes it works, and sometimes it does not.  On that, the first film for this series goes by the name of…

Nightwatching

IMDB Profile

This movie is about Rembrandt Van Rign (Played by Martin Freeman) and his painting Night Watch, also known as the Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenhurch.

The Night Watch

The movie itself tells the stories of the members of the Militia and Rembrandt’s interaction with them.  It also recounts the aftermath of the painting’s.  The plot goes that Banning (the leader) wants Rembrandt to paint his militia’s group portrait.  Rembrandt interacts with each member, and they all show their shady and ugly sides to Rembrandt.  Peter Greenaway, the film’s director, shows cleverness in that he does not show Rembrandt working on Nightwatch and he does not show it until the end of the story.  When the militia sees the painting, they hate the portrait.  They accuse Rembrandt of depicting them as idiots and not really soldiers.  Furthermore, they spend the rest of the film making Rembrandt’s life a living Hell.

During the making of Nightwatch, the movie also focuses on the relationship between Rembrandt and his wife Saskia.  The movie does depict their relationship as a loving relationship, even though it characterizes Rembrandt as constantly wanting to have sex.  However, Saskia is bedridden throughout the movie until her death.  While she lays sick, Rembrandt encounters women who act as female archetypes.  The movie does not tell us whether the women are real or figments of Rembrandt’s imagination.  When she does die, Rembrandt falls into a  deep sorrow, and the scene where he mourns ends up a pretty moving scene.  He does take up another relationship with a woman named Geerter, who watches over his child.  However, that relationship falls apart quickly.

Visually, Greenaway creates a chiaroscuro like atmosphere which leads to the movie resembling a filmed play than a movie.  In fact, the end of the movie calls Night Watch a “frozen moment of theater.”  The motifs of theater, trickery, and the militia as not being real soldiers shows throughout the film.  That makes sense because Rembrandt himself in the Dutch Baroque era.  Baroque paintings themselves constantly use dramatic lighting and black backgrounds.  Also, throughout the movie, we watch countless long table scenes that divide up the screen.  Furthermore, they show crowds of people in lines, as if foretelling the Night Watch painting.  Also  Greenaways’ camerawork constantly stays in one place, turning the film into a living portrait.  People sit and stand like they knew they were posing for a portrait.  Also, every scene has this feeling of order and symmetry.  An interesting execution since Baroque art has a reputation for chaos.

Does it make for a good movie?  Well, yes and no.  The movie itself asks you to contemplate the scenes while you watch.  And you can tell that Greenaway had that in mind when he filmed this.  However, if you do not know this, you probably will not like this film at all.  However, it does have a slow, but not boring pace.  Regarding Greenaway himself, this is the second movie I have seen directed by him.  The first came from The Pillow Book.  While that movie’s plot was nonexistent, it was pretty to look at.  I loved the music (own the soundtrack), and Ewan MacGregor spends most of his time naked and covered in Asian calligraphy.  The actors all did a good job in the movie, although I thought Martin Freeman, the actor playing Rembrandt did not really look like the artist.

Is it correct?  It does perpetuate the idea that post Night Watch, the painting did not receive a lot of praise and Rembrandt went on a downward spiral, but others do not agree.  The link reveals that people may have exaggerated the story.  So, you will not like this movie since it perpetuates the story of Rembrandt’s downfall.

During my personal art history film festival, I noticed various tropes that pop up from these films.

Tropes used

Artist at Work Rembrandt

Artist with an established reputation The movie’s plot already has Rembrandt as a celebrated artist.

Art Reenactments  Movies about the lives of artists often reenact scenes and poses found in their body of work.  In this movie, they have a huge scene with Rembrandt with one of his Crucifixion paintings and a real scene of someone getting crucified (not for real, of course).

What is real?  This trope comes from dialogue between artists and other characters about what reality the artist captures when creating art.  This happens when Rembrandt creates portraits.

Ironic Future Prediction People tell Rembrandt that Night Watch will be forgotten forever.

Nudity The reason why I use this as a trope comes from my grad school years.  During that time, my art history club had a saying that art history was an excuse to look at naked people.  In this movie, nudity happens thanks to mostly Rembrandt and his lover Geerter.

Reviews to expect:

Nightwatching (About Rembrandt and the stories leading to the painting, Nightwatch.)

Love is a Devil (The relationship between Francis Bacon and George Dyer)

Goya’s Ghosts (About Francisco Goya, one of his models, and the ever-changing governments of Spain during his time.)

Klimt (This movie recounts the final years of Symbolist Gustav Klimt.)

Little Ashes (This movie recounts the early years of Salvador Dali and his friendships with poet Federico Garcia Lorca and filmmaker Luis Bunuel.)

What I am going to do with these reviews?  I am going to analyze common tropes found in these movies, any inaccuracies, and any faithful or unfaithful resemblances.  Plus, I am going to analyse the choices of events the screenwriters chose to depict, and how the director sets up the visuals.  Finally, I will say whether they are good.