Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) was a Dutch painter and draughtsman and is considered one of the greatest artists in European art history. Unlike other artists of his time (e.g. Johannes Vermeer or Peter Paul Rubens), he is known by his first name. His portraits are powerful and expressive. He was a master of illusion and used strong colours and light effects to make his works of art appear as real as possible.

If Rembrandt had been born in the 21st century, he would probably have been a fan of Instagram in order to present himself on this platform. Hardly any other artist paints as many ‘selfies’ as Rembrandt. In numerous self-portraits, he shows himself in various phases of his life.

Rembrandt’s wife Saskia van Uylenburgh appears several times as a motif for the artist. She was Rembrandt’s great love and inspired many of his works.

In 1635, he painted her in the role of Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers and spring, in a sumptuous, Arcadian costume. In the painting, he emphasises the lightness and elegance of the Baroque period and his skill in perfectly staging light and shadow. Thanks to today’s technology, we know that the bouquet of flowers Saskia is holding was once a head. The artist would probably never have expected anyone to uncover this secret 🙂

Rembrandt was known for his ability to capture the character of his models. His ‘Portrait of a Woman’ (1632), for example, shows a woman in a magnificent dress, in an upright posture and with a slight smile on her lips. She appears calm and composed. The woman’s face is even wrinkle-free thanks to the light effect. The textures are so realistic that you almost think the woman is real. If you look closely, you will not only notice the lustre of the silk fabric, but also the pattern in the fabric.

His pupil Samuel van Hoogstraten was (almost) as good as Rembrandt himself – something that is clearly visible in the exhibition. It was certainly the case that Hoogstraten painted pictures that his master then presented as his own works. The style and technique are actually very similar!

The bars above the paintings should help you to recognise more quickly in the exhibition which artwork is by Rembrandt and which is by his pupil: horizontal stands for Hoogstraten and vertical for Rembrandt.

Both were masters of illusion! ‘The Inner Castle Square in Vienna in a Fictitious Frame’ (1652) by Hoogstraten, shows a realistic depiction of the inner castle square in Vienna. It is enclosed in a painted, illusionistic frame that looks so real that I would have liked to touch it to convince myself that it is fake. It is an excellent example of trompe-l’œil, a painting technique that deceives the viewer by depicting a three-dimensional reality on a flat surface.