Painter · 1606 – 1669
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn
Key Takeaways
- Rembrandt is among the greatest painters and printmakers in Western art.
- His Night Watch is one of the most famous paintings in the world.
- He painted dozens of revealing self-portraits across his life.
- He was a master of chiaroscuro, the dramatic contrast of light and dark.
Rembrandt van Rijn stands among the very greatest artists in history, the supreme master of the Dutch Golden Age. With his dramatic handling of light and his unflinching insight into the human face, he transformed both painting and printmaking.
The Night Watch
Rembrandt’s most famous work, The Night Watch, broke with the static convention of the group portrait. Instead of a row of posed figures, he captured a militia company bursting into motion, lit by a brilliant fall of light, in a composition charged with drama and energy. It remains one of the most celebrated paintings in the world.
A life in self-portraits
Across his career Rembrandt painted, drew, and etched some eighty self-portraits, recording his own face from confident youth to careworn old age. Together they form an unmatched visual autobiography. He was equally a master of etching, raising the print to a fine art with works of astonishing subtlety.
Legacy
Though he died in poverty after a late bankruptcy, Rembrandt’s reputation only grew. His art, rooted in the baroque era, drew on the example of masters like Leonardo da Vinci and in turn inspired later painters, above all his countryman Vincent van Gogh. Today his works are among the most treasured in any museum.
Influence
Rembrandt's dramatic light, psychological depth, and innovations in etching shaped European painting and printmaking for generations and made him a model for later artists from the Romantics to Van Gogh.
Legacy
Rembrandt is universally counted among the greatest artists in history, and his works are among the most treasured in the world's museums.
Life Timeline
- 1606Birth
Born in Leiden, the son of a miller.
- 1631Move to Amsterdam
Settles in Amsterdam and becomes a sought-after portraitist.
- 1642The Night Watch
Completes his celebrated group portrait of a militia company.
- 1656Bankruptcy
Forced to declare insolvency and sell his collections.
- 1669Death
Dies in Amsterdam, having painted self-portraits to the end.
Major Works
- The Night Watch
- The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp
- Self-Portrait series
- The Hundred Guilder Print (etching)
Controversies
- Despite his fame, he lived beyond his means and was forced into bankruptcy in his later years.
Connections
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Rembrandt?
Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669) was a Dutch Golden Age painter and etcher, renowned for The Night Watch, his self-portraits, and his command of light and shadow.
Why is Rembrandt important?
He brought extraordinary psychological depth and dramatic lighting to painting and elevated etching to a fine art, influencing artists for centuries.
Citations & Sources
People Like Rembrandt
Leonardo da Vinci
97Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath — painter, inventor, anatomist and engineer — whose curiosity and genius made him the archetype of the 'Renaissance man'.
Why An earlier master whose study of light and human expression anticipated Rembrandt's own.
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino
90Raphael was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance whose works, prized for their harmony and grace, include The School of Athens and a famous series of serene Madonnas.
Why A High Renaissance master whose harmonious art Rembrandt admired and collected in print form.
Vincent van Gogh
93Vincent van Gogh was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter whose intense color, expressive brushwork, and emotional depth made him one of the most influential artists in Western history, though he found little recognition in his own lifetime.
Why A later Dutch painter who revered Rembrandt as a supreme master of his nation's art.
Michelangelo
95Michelangelo was an Italian Renaissance sculptor, painter and architect, one of the greatest artists in history, creator of the David, the Pietà and the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
Why A towering earlier artist whose dramatic intensity Rembrandt's work parallels in another medium.
Claude Monet
90Claude Monet was a French painter and the leading founder of Impressionism, whose studies of light and atmosphere — from Impression, Sunrise to the Water Lilies — revolutionized modern painting.
Why Also a painter & artist · Comparable historical impact
Pablo Picasso
94Pablo Picasso was a Spanish painter and sculptor who co-founded Cubism and ranks among the most influential and prolific artists of the twentieth century, creating works such as Guernica and Les Demoiselles d'Avignon.
Why Also a painter & artist · Comparable historical impact