Self Portrait

Rembrandt

Self Portrait
c. 1659
National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
Photographed by Team C004570

"Rembrandt painted about 700 pictures--of these, about 3,000 are in existence."
-Wilhem Bode

 Born on July 15, 1606 in Leyden, Netherlands, Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn became one of the leading artists of the Baroque period. He was a miller's son, born to a middle class background. In 1620, he quit his studies at Leyden University to study art with local master Jacob van Swanenburch and later with Pieter Lastman in Amsterdam. After teaching art in Leyden for 4 years, he moved to Amsterdam and married Saskia van Uylenburgh in 1634.

His family suffered many misfortunes with the death of three out of his four children and the death of his wife in 1542. He eventually married his housekeeper, Hendrickje Stoffels, in 1649. He did achieve some degree of financial success but is wasteful style of living drove him into bankruptcy in 1656. A downward fall in his life was also marked by the death of his second wife in 1663 and his last surviving child, Titus in, 1668. On October 4, 1669, Rembrandt, himself, died in Amsterdam.

The interesting thing about Rembrandt's art is in his self portraits. He probably did a longer series of these than any other artist. Between 1629 and 1969, a total of over sixty self portraits were painted. It acts as a biography of his life, with his deep self analysis, he captures all the ups and downs throughout his career.

©2000 Team C004570