Rembrandt's Self Portraits

        Rembrandt van Rijn was a great 17th century Dutch artist. He was a child prodigy, begining his training at the age of 14.  He became so skilled at his craft that at the age of 22 he started his own art school.  Some of the students that he taught were already trained but sought to learn under Rembrant. It is said that if he liked a painting that a student made he signed his name on it.
       Even though he was famous and successful, his personal life was marked with tragedy.  His wife died after they were only married for 8 years and three of their four children died in a period of seven years. 
       The artist was famous for his realism, his pieces are quite remarkable in their intricate details.  His art depicted: historic scenes, religious scenes (from the Bible) and mythological pieces.  Probably the most famous recurring theme in his work were his self portraits.  He is credited to having more than 90 pieces of art depicting himself.  At first I thought this had to do with vanity but apparently at the time it was popular to collect artists' self portraits.  Early on his paintings of himself show a robust and confident young man; his later portraits show a more introspective side of him.  
          To read more about Rembrandt Click Here 
           To see where you can view and purchase his art Click Here

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