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The next video in our six-part series focuses on the work ‘Head of an Old Man in a Cap’ which was painted by Rembrandt at only 24 years old. This painting reveals the artist’s masterful use of light and was recreated as a print by Jan van Vliet four years later.
Rembrandt van Rijn, Head of an Old Man in a Cap, c. 1630, oil on panel. Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Queen’s University, Kingston. Gift of Alfred and Isabel Bader, 2003 (46-031).
Jan van Vliet (after Rembrandt van Rijn), Head of an Old Man in a Cap, 1634, etching on paper, state 1 of 2. Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Queen’s University, Kingston. Gift of Daphne and Ned Franks, 2002 (45-059).
Leiden circa 1630: Rembrandt Emerges was curated by Dr. Jacquelyn N. Coutré, organized and circulated by the Agnes Etherington Art Centre at Queen’s University, with the support of the Isabel and Alfred Bader Fund of Bader Philanthropies, Inc. and the Government of Canada.The next video in our six-part series focuses on the work ‘Head of an Old Man in a Cap’ which was painted by Rembrandt at only 24 years old. This painting reveals the artist’s masterful use of light and was recreated as a print by Jan van Vliet four years later. …
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[Music]
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hi everyone Danielle here I’m the
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collections manager and curatorial
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associate of the aga and we’re
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continuing our tour of leiden circa 1630
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Rembrandt emerges
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so this striking character study or
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tronie by Rembrandt is one of the
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absolute gems of this exhibition it was
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painted around 1630 when Rembrandt was a
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mere 24 years old and it really
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demonstrates his rapid development as an
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artist and his keen sense of observation
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at this point in his career he would
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practically surpassed all of his
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colleagues in his close depiction of
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detail so if you get up close to this
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painting you’ll see a buildup of paint
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strokes around the wrinkled forehead
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he’s delicate this delicate slack skin
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in his cheeks and these Manute
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brushstrokes that delineate his long
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eyebrow hairs this work also reveals
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Rembrandt’s masterful use of light so
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you have this one light source really
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illuminating the top or head of the
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figure while the rest is in darkness so
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Rembrandt used light and shadow to
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invest his images with a heightened
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sense of emotion if you look closely at
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the top right corner you’ll see the
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signature rhl which stands for Rembrandt
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son of Herman of Leiden so Rembrandt was
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associating himself with the city and
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marketing himself to knowledgeable
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collectors who lived elsewhere in the
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country and while we can’t see it with
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the naked eye x-ray technology has shown
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there is another painting underneath
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this one so that indicates to us that
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Rembrandt would have not wanted to waste
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this valuable piece of wood on what he
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perceived as a failed painting so he was
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both frugal and savvy and of course this
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is something that artists continued to
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do today now a few years later a print
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maker by the name of en Van Vleet
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recreated this image in print he was
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also from Leiden and him and Rembrandt
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had a close working relationship he
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probably often helped Rembrandt with his
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own printmaking now reproducing a print
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or a painting rather into print would
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have been mutually beneficial for both
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artists for Rembrandt it would have
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allowed his work to be seen
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by a wider audience and to circulate and
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for vanvleet associating himself with an
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artist who’s now established in
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Amsterdam and who’s gaining renowned
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would have been beneficial to his own
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career so thank you for watching as we
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look at two other works in this
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exhibition and I hope you join me as we
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continue to explore the work in this
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show
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[Music]
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you
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