Master of Light! Rembrandt's stunning art paintings

8.De Nachtwacht

This painting is a portrait made by Rembrandt of the Amsterdam Archer Company. Rembrandt changed the principle of arranging the characters in the order of honor and inferiority in the previous portraits, and created a stage effect in a new way. What this painting depicts is actually the scene of the captain and vice-captain (the two figures in the middle of the picture) during the day, which was mistaken for depicting the night due to the dim light. Rembrandt was commissioned by 18 people with a reward of 1,600 Dutch gold coins. There are a total of 34 characters in the initially completed painting, of which, in addition to the 18 people who paid, there are also 16 "models" who support the structure of the picture. Later, the picture was damaged by water intrusion, etc., and it was slightly smaller than the original picture after cropping.It is said that the clients were dissatisfied with Rembrandt's inability to paint himself, so Rembrandt's reputation plummeted. It is worth mentioning that there is a little girl in the picture. Logically, it is very out of place for a little girl to appear in this picture, but Rembrandt's handling makes it not very abrupt and looks very natural. At the same time, the color of the little girl contrasts with the dark tones in the back row. Nowadays, most people think that the little girl is a symbol of light and truth, and no one knows why.

9.The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp

Rembrandt was only 25 when he received the important commission to paint the Amsterdam surgeons. The portrait was ordered following the anatomical lesson given by Dr. Nicolaes Tulp in January 1632.Rembrandt depicted the surgeons in action - they are all looking at something else. The representation gets extra dynamics from the large light-dark contrast. The young painter showed with this group portrait his fabulous painting technique and his great talent for painting lively portraits.

Summary

When you look at Rembrandt's paintings, you can feel the strong contrast between light and dark. His painting techniques, which focus on capturing light and shadow, make the characters come to life. During the viewing process, we are more attracted by the stories in the paintings, as if we can enter the paintings through the window of the canvas and into the world of the painting.