Rembrandt van Rijn's Work

Rembrandt van Rijn was more then just a painter; his artistic abilities were shown in etchings and drawings as well and one of his first painted and etched self portraits from 1630 is a good example of that.

His work was unique in that time and there are no signs that he was influenced by any other painters. He gained fame due to his way of painting; he liked to reflect life-like scenes and people 'in motion' so to speak. This was well liked by both the audience and his clients and there was no lack of commissioned work.

Besides his fame as a painter of portraits, Rembrandt produces many works of art which are based on mythology and religion like Blinding of Samson in 1636, Bathsheba in 1654, Jewish Bride 1665 and many more.

We probably have all heard and/or seen a picture of The night watch, which he made in 1642 and even though rumors go that this painting was the onset to his declining fame, that is not true; it was a shift in taste and preference of the public, who wanted to be painted in a more formal position and environment then Rembrandt did.

Many people may not know that Rembrandt was also a teacher, an art dealer and a collector of art and antiquities such as ancient sculptures, Flemish and Italian Renaissance paintings, Far Eastern art, contemporary Dutch works, weapons and armor.

He made his last etching in 1658, which is another self portrait, but certainly not the last of his paintings. Many more commissioned works came from his hands including three more self portraits, which he accomplished in the last year of his life.