Hello again
This is a little delayed post, but I was gone from home and is harder for me to write away from my desktop.
Today I'm gonna present you a great artist who came from Netherlands and left us his paintings to be watched for eternity.
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, was born July 15, 1606 to a prosperous family. After attending the University of Leiden, he convinced his parents to allow him to take up painting instead of Latin. From 1621 to 1624, he studied with a history painter in his hometown of Leiden. He then left for the big city of Amsterdam where he studied under Pieter Lastman. After only one year, Rembrandt had surpassed his teacher. He returned to Leiden, where he enjoyed immediate success as a professional artist and teacher during the years 1625 to 1632. Wealthy merchants in his hometown of Leiden recognized good art and were willing to pay a fair price for it.
Not many artist could be so lucky as Rembrandt to be appreciated in their as long as they were alive, so Rembrandt's work should be more valuable for this.
He was lucky finding a nice girl to marry, Saskia van Uylenburg and he could dedicate to his passion: painting and collecting art, being supported by her dowry. His luck was finished with the death of the first three children in infancy. This could be the reason why Rembrandt's work became more sober. In september 1641 their joy reappeard with the birth and survival of their 4th child, Titus, but after less than one year, Saskia, his wife, died by tuberculosis in June, 1642.
This was a hard to get sorrow and he tried to relief in his work anmade what today is considered an innovative masterpiece of art - The Nightwatch.
Painting this in the same year as Saskia's death, he reached new heights in his experiments with light and focus in this composition. We should be aware that in his times, the composition of the color was only the painter's talent, because they needed to mix it by hand from the elemental materials they had.
Despite this innovations, the city officials who ordered the painting were disappointed by the difference of the style between this painting and the previous ones.
"Of all the Baroque masters, it was Rembrandt who evolved the most revolutionary technique and who seemed to grow into the Italians' spiritual heir. Where others needed five touches he was using one, and so the brushstrokes had begun to separate and could sometimes only be properly read from a distance."
Waldemar Januszczak, Techniques of the Great Masters of Art
From now on, the painter was facing with financial difficulties because of his passion of collecting art, his poor management of his business and the national downturn, also. In 1656 was forced to declare bankruptcy and he lost the house.
Even when he found love again with Hendrickje and was blessed by his strong bond with his sun, Titus, the misfortune struck again: Hendricke died in 1663 and Titus in 1668 by a plague epidemic.
Rembrandt lasted only one year after and died in October 4, 1669.
Please take note from this true artist life and work and try to get what is the best for us. Don't forget that sorrow and pain could give us the seeds for making greater things, but also try to protect you and your family and friend from this dark sides of the life.
