Roots

Contrary to popular belief, Rembrandt did not live a life of poverty or in squalor. Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, the Dutch Baroque artist, was born on July 15, 1606, in Leiden, Holland, to Gerristz van Rijn and Neeltgen Willemsdr. His father owned a mill and his mother was the daughter of a baker. This means, that like most Dutch artists, Rembrandt also came from the lower middle class. His father, who thought that Rembrandt was the most gifted of his nine children, wanted him to follow a scholastic profession. The historical situation and circumstances that one finds oneself in, condition the scope and direction of each individual, even great ones. The time that he was born in was a peaceful period in Dutch history and a time of cultural growth. Rembrandt’s generation was squeezed between that of the vigor and self-assurance of the generation of Frans Hals and the quiet refinement of the generation of Jan Vermeer. What distinguishes him from hiscontemporaries is the subjectivity and spirituality of his art.

Amsterdam, Lastman made an enduring impression on him. Indeed, it was Lastman who kindled his ambition to compose Biblical and historical paintings. Their relationship as student and teacher was very fruitful. Rembrandt’s extraordinary genius was enhanced by his teacher’s robust personality. It was his teacher’s firm instruction that provided him with the solid foundation to be able to scale the lofty heights that he aspired to. Lastman himself was a student of one of the leading painters in Holland, Cornelis Cornelisz van Harlem. He had also lived and worked in Rome, where he probably came in contact with Caravaggio and met Elsheimer. On his return to Holland, he had invented a new kind of historical painting that had Biblical subjects and also subjects from classical mythology. These works, with the realistic quality of their narrative power and vividness of dramatic animation impressed his countrymen. Rembrandt was greatly impressed by his teacher’s work but he outdid him. His intensity of expression and subtlety in tonal gradation shows his superiority. It is believed that after spending six months with Lastman, he also studied for a while with Jan Pynas.

Not yet twenty, he set up his studio in Leiden on Lastman’s encouragement. Italian artists, especially Caravaggio, influenced him. He was barely twenty-two when he became established as an artist and began teaching, something he continued to do throughout his life.