Who was Rembrandt? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn

Died At Age: 63

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Saskia van Uylenburgh

father: Harmen Gerritszoon van Rijn

mother: Neeltgen Willemsdochter van Zuytbrouck

siblings: Adriaen van Rijn, Cornelis van Rijn, Gerrit van Rijn, Lysbeth van Rijn, Machtelt van Rijn, Willem van Rijn

children: Cornelia van Rijn, Titus van Rijn

Artists Dutch Men

Died on: October 4, 1669

place of death: Amsterdam, Netherlands

City: Leiden, Netherlands

More Facts

education: Leiden University

Recommended For You

1

Where is Rembrandt buried?

Rembrandt is buried in the Westerkerk church in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
2

What is Rembrandt's most famous painting?

Rembrandt's most famous painting is "The Night Watch," also known as "Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq."
3

How many self-portraits did Rembrandt paint?

Rembrandt painted around 90 self-portraits throughout his life, making him one of the most prolific self-portrait artists in history.
4

What is Rembrandt's painting style known for?

Rembrandt's painting style is known for its dramatic lighting effects, rich colors, and expressive brushwork, which helped create a sense of depth and emotion in his works.
5

Where can I see Rembrandt's artworks today?

Rembrandt's artworks can be found in museums around the world, with major collections at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Louvre in Paris, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Recommended Lists:

Dutch People

Leiden University

Dutch Artists

Dutch Artists & Painters

Male Artists & Painters

Childhood & Early Life

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was born on 15 July 1606 in Leiden, in the Dutch Republic, now the Netherlands. His parents were Harmen Gerritszoon van Rijn and Neeltgen Willemsdochter van Zuytbrouck, and he was their ninth child. His father worked as a miller and his family was a well-to-do one.

He attended Latin school and is believed to have enrolled at the University of Leiden for his higher studies.

He was interested in the arts from an early age and was apprenticed to a Leiden history painter, Jacob van Swanenburgh, who was renowned for his ability to paint fire and illumination. The influence of this early training period can be observed in many of Rembrandt’s future paintings.

After training under van Swanenburgh for three years, he apprenticed for six months with the painter Pieter Lastman in Amsterdam. Lastman was a famous history painter and under his tutelage Rembrandt learned the skill of placing figures from biblical, historical and allegorical scenes in complex settings. Some sources also suggest that he received training from the painter Joris van Schooten too.

Continue Reading Below

Recommended Lists:

Cancer Artists & Painters

Career

After completing his training, Rembrandt became a professional artist and opened a studio in Leiden in the mid-1620s with the help of a friend and fellow painter, Jan Lievens. He began experimenting with etchings and started painting biblical scenes.

He developed his own unique style of painting light and illumination that made him very famous. His paintings ‘Peter and Paul Disputing’ (1628) and ‘Judas Repentant and Returning the Pieces of Silver’ (1629) are some of the paintings which display his ingenuity in handling the concept of light.

Rembrandt achieved considerable success within a few years of becoming a professional painter and this attracted numerous aspiring painters to his studio who were eager to be trained by the great master. In the late 1620s he began accepting students and Gerrit Dou was one of his early pupils.

Rembrandt became acquainted with the statesman Constantijn Huygens which proved to be quite profitable for the artist. Huygens greatly appreciated Rembrandt’s paintings and starting from 1629, helped the artist in procuring important commissions from the court of The Hague.

Buoyed by his success, Rembrandt moved to Amsterdam in 1631 in order to expand his business. He initially stayed with an art dealer, Hendrick van Uylenburgh, who had a workshop that created portraits and restored paintings. During this time Rembrandt began working as a portraitist for the first time and was praised for the realism in his portraits.

During the 1630s he also began painting dramatic biblical and mythological scenes in large format. Some of his works from this period include ‘The Blinding of Samson’ (1636), ‘Belshazzar's Feast’ (c. 1635), and ‘Danaë’ (1636).

His style underwent a significant change in the 1640s. His paintings now became less dramatic and more sober in tone. The 1640s also marked a tragic period in his personal life which might have been the reason behind his changed style of painting. During this difficult period he painted several biblical scenes from the New Testament than the Old Testament.

The 1650s saw more changes in his style of art. He took to painting with more vibrant hues and bolder brushstrokes. His new style departed considerably from his older delicate style and became coarser. The biblical themes in his later paintings shifted to intimate portrait-like figures from the dramatic group scenes he once used to specialize in.

Major Works

His painting ‘The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp’ (1632) is a much-discussed one among the medical fraternity. In the oil painting he depicted Dr. Nicolaes Tulp, a famous Dutch surgeon, explaining the musculature of the arm to medical professionals.

Continue Reading Below

His 1642 painting, ‘The Night Watch’ is one of his more ambitious works. Considered to be a world renowned example of Baroque art, the painting is famous for the effective use of light and shadow, and the perception of motion in what would have traditionally been a static military portrait.

Personal Life & Legacy

Rembrandt married his friend Hendrick's cousin, Saskia van Uylenburgh, in 1634. His wife was the daughter of a lawyer. His family life was marked with several great personal tragedies. Even though his wife gave birth to four children, only one of them survived infancy. His wife too died young, leaving him devastated.

He had a short term relationship with his son’s nurse Geertje Dircx following the death of his wife. Later on he became romantically involved with a much younger woman, Hendrickje Stoffels, who had initially been his maid. This union produced a daughter. Even though the couple did not marry formally, the two were considered legally wed under common law.

In spite of being a successful painter who earned great wealth, Rembrandt was also known for his extravagant and lavish lifestyle which almost drove him to bankruptcy.

His last years were very tragic ones as both his common-law wife and his son predeceased the great artist. He died on 4 October 1669 in Amsterdam, and was buried in an unknown grave in the Westerkerk. He was a poor man at the time of his death.

Facts About Rembrandt

Rembrandt was known for his love of collecting unusual objects, such as shells, costumes, and exotic artifacts, which he incorporated into his artwork.

Despite his success as a painter, Rembrandt faced financial struggles throughout his life due to his extravagant spending habits and investments that did not always pay off.

He was known for his innovative use of light and shadow, a technique known as chiaroscuro, which added depth and drama to his paintings.

Rembrandt was a master of capturing emotion and human expression in his portraits, often depicting his subjects with a sense of inner depth and personality.

Rembrandt Biography

You wanted to know

Where is Rembrandt buried?

What is Rembrandt's most famous painting?

How many self-portraits did Rembrandt paint?

What is Rembrandt's painting style known for?

Where can I see Rembrandt's artworks today?