Rembrandt van Rijn was a 17th century Dutch artist who is well known for his paintings and prints. He was incredibly influential not only to his Dutch contemporaries but also to the art world as a whole. His mastery of technique and fluency in storytelling can be seen clearly and beautifully in each of his works, and they remain as inspiration for many artists today.
Rembrandt’s artistic approach to printmaking led to works which have motion in the interlocking lines and contrast in their atmospheric tones. He was also known for experimenting with the medium and its many facets, often combining etching, drypoint, and engraving as well as testing different types of paper for his pieces. With Rembrandt’s prints, we have a unique opportunity to examine both the touch of the artist’s hand and the evolution of each piece, as well as some of the thought process that decided where to place emphasis within the work. He did not view the act of printing as final, but instead continued to make alterations, sometimes minuscule and sometimes quite drastic, to each plate. This essentially gives each concept a life of its own, grower richer and richer with each alteration. Each one is specific and intricate, serving almost as a still from a movie, a captured moment and memory held in a single image. Here Rembrandt’s experiments are on full display, and they beg us to look at them with a careful eye and eager spirit.
Reclining Female Nude, second of six states
Rembrandt van Rijn, 1658
Etching, drypoint, and engraving on Japan paper
Metropolitan Museum of Art
In this piece made in 1658, Rembrandt combines the techniques of drypoint, etching, and engraving to subtly reveal the nude figure of a black woman lying on a surface covered in cloth, her arms tucked in front and her back to the viewer. The background behind her is composed of dense, sporadic drypoint marks which expresses the darkness of her surroundings and directs the viewer’s attention to the presence of the figure. She is rendered with a series of thin, diligent marks which begin to lessen the contrast between the white of the fabric and the dark setting. The artist also leaves a significant amount of ink on the plate when he prints this, which when combined with the warm toned paper create deep values which draw the woman back into her setting. The highlight on the top of her hip is quite a bit darker than the fabric, and Rembrandt’s use of etching on her figure articulates her form with careful attention.
Reclining Female Nude, sixth of six states
Rembrandt van Rijn, 1658
Etching, drypoint, and engraving on Japan paper
The British Museum
The changes made here both clarify the scene and reinforce the subject. Rembrandt uses carefully etched lines to articulate and follow the woman’s form while also emphasizing the color of the woman’s skin by darkening her setting with more drypoint and ink and reworks the values on her form to make her appear darker. Now, with the contrast between the background and white cloth drastically increased, we are drawn into the image and towards the woman, whose pose and setting create a sense of intimacy in this smaller print.
Christ Presented to the People, second of eight states
Rembrandt van Rijn, 1655
Drypoint on Japan paper
Metropolitan Museum of Art
This piece depicts a scene of the Passion of Christ during which Pontius Pilot brings Jesus before a crowd and offers him to them, saying that he will free either Jesus or the criminal Barabbas. While both Pilot and Jesus are depicted in clothes which fit the narrative, Rembrandt chooses that the rest of the figures present wear more contemporary Dutch clothing. The architecture behind the figures as well as the staff in Pilot’s hand also echo facets of the Dutch judicial system at the time, drawing viewers closer and painting a familiar scene. Statues of Justice and Fortitude lead our eyes towards Jesus, who stands silent before the crowd.
Christ Presented to the People, seventh of eight states
Rembrandt van Rijn, 1655
Drypoint on Japan paper
Metropolitan Museum of Art
In this state, we see the various alterations and changes they bring to the narrative. Here, Jesus is no longer framed at the bottom by members of the crowd. The solid ground before the stage is now replaced with a huge pit composed of tiny sporadic strokes. These layer on top of one another, forming the edge of a deep, dark abyss which is now occupied by the vague form of a bearded man, who stares out at us. Both of these drastically change both the composition and the narrative, as we can no longer disconnect ourselves from the reality of the history. We become part of the scene. Rembrandt removes the option of any aloofness or disdain we might feel towards the crowd in the second state, and instead we are directly confronted with the question of which prisoner should go free. We can now only reply with “Barabbas.”
Christ Crucified between the Two Thieves: The Three Crosses, first of four states
Rembrandt van Rijn, 1653
Drypoint printed on vellum
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Here Jesus is shown in his final moments before his death, illuminated by a beam of heavenly light and flanked on both sides by two criminals. His mother Mary weeps at his feet, and mournful citizens as well as Roman officers on horseback surround the three crosses. Both sides of the composition are quite dark, composed of shadowy figures and a dim and scratchy foreground. Long lines travel from the top of the composition and land on Jesus’s slumped form, leading our eyes directly onto his broken body. Here, with Christ as the clear focal point, we can almost feel the tension as Jesus declares “It is finished.”
Christ Crucified between the Two Thieves: The Three Crosses, fourth of four states
Rembrandt van Rijn, 1660
Drypoint
Metropolitan Museum of Art
This version is noticeably darker than its predecessors, emphasising the darkness and chaos of this final act of Jesus. The Roman soldiers and their horses now face Jesus, and the crowd which was once identifiable as individuals is now one mass composed of inky cross hatching and thick sporadic lines. Rembrandt also establishes an even darker atmosphere by leaving some of the ink on the plate, which reinforces the moment with black smudges towards the edges of the piece. We now complete the scene, joining in with Mary, barely illuminated, and mourning the death of our Lord. Here each change leads back to Jesus, and the dramatic contrast provided by Rembrandt’s intentional marks points us to the visual and theological significance of this final moment.
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