Rembrandt, Harmensz van Rijn

Dutch painter, etcher, and teacher. Rembrandt was one of the most prolific and significant artists in Europe of the 17th century. Between 1629 and 1669 he painted about 60 penetrating self-portraits, many of them used as studies for later paintings. He also painted religious subjects, and produced about 300 etchings and over 1,000 drawings. His major group portraits include The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Tulp (1632; Mauritshuis, The Hague) and The Night Watch (1642; Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam). Known for his mastery of the chiaroscuro effect and the baroque style, his later work is passionate, psychologically charged, and atmospherically moody.

After studying in Leiden and for a few months in Amsterdam (with a history painter), Rembrandt began his career in 1625 in Leiden, where his work reflected knowledge of Adam Elsheimer and Caravaggio, among others. He settled permanently in Amsterdam in 1631 and obtained many commissions for portraits from wealthy merchants. The Self-Portrait with Saskia (his wife, Saskia van Uylenburgh) (c. 1634; Gemäldegalerie, Dresden) displays their prosperity in warm tones and rich, glittering textiles.

Saskia died in 1642, and that year Rembrandt's fortunes began to decline (he eventually became bankrupt in 1656). His work became more sombre, revealing a deeper emotional content, and his portraits were increasingly melancholy; for example, Jan Six (1654; Six Collection, Amsterdam). From 1660 onwards he lived with Hendrickje Stoffels, but he outlived her, and in 1668 his only surviving child, Titus, died too. Rembrandt had many pupils, including Gerard Dou and Carel Fabritius. He was buried in the Wester Kerk in Amsterdam, and his house in the city is now a Rembrandt museum.