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International Art Treasures Web Magazine April 2006 |
Rembrandt?
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When you have two new Rembrandts in your collection it's not a question of whether they will be put on display but when! The answer to that question is now and the owner of the two recently attributed Rembrandts is the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen, Denmark. |
It is not only his homeland that is celebrating the 400th anniversary of the birth of Rembrandt. In Copenhagen the Statens Museum for Kunst (SMK) is host to the most comprehensive Danish exhibit about the Dutch master. SMK has an extensive collection of prints and drawings and added to that are loans of paintings, and best of all two recently attributed Rembrandts forming the exhibit Rembrandt? The Master and his Workshop.
The dramatic renditions of the subjects, whether in biblical scenes, portraits or self-portraits earned Rembrandt the sobriquet "painter of soul".
Title: The Three Marys at the Tomb of Christ, 1644
Artist: Ferdinand Bol (Dutch 1616 - 1680)
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Permanent Collection & Image Courtesy: Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen
Rembrandt? The Master and his Workshop examines the way the artist would visualize the same theme repeatedly in his works. The Dutch master never failed throughout his long career to set the bar high in continuing improvement and investigation of light and shadow and the interpretation of subject matter.
The Etchings
Title: Landscape with Cottages under Tall Trees ("The Puff of Wind"), 1650-51
Artist: Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn (Dutch 1606-1669)
Medium: Drawing
Image Courtesy: Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen
Rembrandt was a master etcher, as if being a master painter was not enough, he was known for his exquisite skill as a draftsman.
The Workshop
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Jan Lievens, Gerard Dou, Ferdinand Bol, Govert Flinck, Willem Drost, Philips Koninck, and Aert de Gelder are all included in this exhibit that seeks understanding of the artist's workshop. |
Collaboration was common and in recent years works attributed to Rembrandt have been subsequently credited to his students. That they were thought to be directly from the Dutch master speaks to the quality of the work and of his teaching abilities.
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The exhibit is reflective of the uncertainty of attribution for works completed nearly 4 centuries ago. The work the SMK undertook to prove beyond doubt that The Crusader and Study of an Old Man in Profile were in fact Rembrandt works is detailed here. |
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At the same time, as noted above, other works previously assigned to Rembrandt have been determined to be in fact from his studio.
Title: Abraham Entertaining the Angels, c. 1680-85
Artist: Aert de Gelder (Dutch 1645-1727)
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Permanent Collection: Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam
Image Courtesy: Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen
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Included are examples of the copies and variations on the master's own paintings, after all one common learning technique for apprentices was to copy known master works throughout the educational process. |
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Several of the paintings that are from Rembrandt's studio reflect his own oeuvre and this is demonstrated through modern technology and illustrated as part of the exhibit. X-rays and infrared studies are tools that allow historians to determine which are genuine Rembrandts and those that are not. |
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Title: Christ Appearing to Mary Magdalena / Noli me Tangere, 1639
Artist: Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn (Dutch 1606-1669)
Medium: Oil on Wood
Permanent Collection: The Royal Collection Trust, London
Image Courtesy: Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen
Naturally several students continued past their training to develop their own style.
Title: Self Portrait, 1669
Artist: Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn (Dutch 1606-1669)
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Permanent Collection: Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis, Haag
Image Courtesy: Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen
Aert de Gelder was one of Rembrandt's last pupils and likely his most devoted. De Gelder continued to paint in the style he had been taught well into the 18th Century even though by then it had fallen somewhat out of favor. His work Jacob's Dream was attributed to Rembrandt for a number of years.
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Rembrandt? The Master and his Workshop is an intriguing look at Rembrandt's works but also the attribution of art when mistakes are made and with new technology how they are corrected. |
Rembrandt? The Master and His Workshop
Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen:
February 4 - May 14, 2006