North and South: Rembrandt’s Painting as a Bridge Between Artistic Traditions

In Europe, the art of the North and the art of the South are sometimes perceived to be in a vacuum with little contact with one another. The crisp lines and classical subject matter of Italian art in particular seem to have little in common with the dreamlike style and everyday topics of Dutch paintings. This seeming seal is completely befuddled by the Dutch artist Rembrandt's Aristotle with a Bust of Homer, a 56.5” x 53.75” oil-on-canvas paining, created in 1653. Its classical subject matter is unusual for a Dutch Golden Age work, depicting a figure usually interpreted to be the Greek philosopher Aristotle as he contemplates a bust of the poet Homer. Landscapes, portraits, still lives— these are what most would expect to see in this time and era, scenes depicting and cherishing the ordinary and everyday. Aristotle with a Bust of Homer draws from this tradition in style, but its subject matter departs from many other paintings from this area and era. This piece points to a greater dialogue between the Dutch artist Rembrandt and Italian classicism, blending the style and softness of the North with the history and tradition of the South. Though they are often discussed separately, the artistry of these areas was by no means isolated, and Rembrandt’s Aristotle is only one example among many of the interchange of cultures that took place.

Johannes Vermeer, Woman Holding a Balance, c. 1664, Oil on canvas, 16.7” x 15”, Widener Collection, National Gallery of Art

https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.1236.html

This piece is a shining example of a typical Dutch Golden Age work and can help form a general idea of the general style and subject matter of this tradition. Soft brushstrokes and ingenious lighting are married to an everyday setting and photographic precision. It is in many ways similar to Aristotle, a contemplative, dreamy scene. They are each rife with symbolism, but from very different origins. Rembrandt’s painting uses classicism— the bust, the philosopher, the books— while Vermeer draws from a Biblical archive. The symbolism of the scale and pearls are accentuated by the painting of the Last Judgement in the background. Even this grand symbolism is placed in an ordinary household. This is no great historical moment, and the woman does not appear to be anyone significant. The ordinary and everyday is elevated by shared faith rather than a shared history.

Donato Creti, Alexander the Great Threatened by his Father, c. 1700, Oil on canvas, 51.1” x 38.3”, Samuel H. Kress Collection, National Gallery of Art

https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.46105.html

The paintings of Rembrandt’s Italian contemporaries were overwhelmingly religious in subject matter, but contemporary sculpture and the paintings of the generation prior heavily leaned in to Classical themes. Although Creti's work came roughly 50 years after Rembrandt's, it embodies many of the stylistic and thematic elements most relevant to Rembrandt's work. The focus of this historical painting is on the event rather than the individual of Alexander, with the action is set out before the viewer as a stage. The figures are almost sculptural in their clearly defined features, dressed in kilted armor and surrounded by columns that set the scene most assuredly in the classical world (or a modern European idea of it). The drama of the moment is acted out before the viewer, with the actors exaggerated facial expressions and body language clearly communicating the events. 

Rembrandt van Rijn, Aristotle with a Bust of Homer, 1653, Oil on canvas, 56.5” x 53.75”, 61.198

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437394

The centerpiece of this exhibition, this pensive work is most distinctively Dutch in its expert use of light and shadow. No line is crisp or clear, allowing dreamy brushstrokes to prevail and produce an atmosphere to match the philosopher’s lofty pondering. It departs from this tradition in its subject matter- though the identity of the figure is somewhat debated, he is by any interpretation a Classical one. This is no scene of an ordinary person going about their business, but a portrait of one of the most influential philosophers in history. This particular painting was commissioned by the Sicilian nobleman Count Ruffo, who wished to add a work by a Dutch master to his collection. The contrast with Creti's painting is immediately apparent. All the drama and struggle is depicted within the philosopher rather than externally. His facial expression still remains neutral somehow, creating a sense of mystery and thoughtfulness. Rembrandt also depicts a very real Aristotle, an Aristotle inhabiting our world— not a distant legendary figure draped in a toga. This portrait declines to conform to either Dutch Golden Age or contemporary Italian traditions, drawing heavily from both and serving to bridge the gap between them. 

Rembrandt van Rijn, Pallas Athena or Alexander the Great, c.1655, Oil on canvas, 118 cm x 91 cm, Calouste Gulbenkian Museum

https://gulbenkian.pt/museu/en/works_museu/pallas-athena/

This portrait was likely commissioned by Count Ruffo to serve as a companion to Aristotle alongside a painting of Homer. It shows a figure in armor, possibly Pallas Athena or Aristotle's pupil Alexander the Great, who was often associated with the goddess. This figure somewhat resembles the pendant that hangs from Aristotle’s sash: a helmeted, crested head. As with the previous Dutch paintings shown, the focus is strongly on the individual rather than the historical events taking place. Notably, the figure is depicted in Classical rather than modern armor, at odds with how Aristotle is attired. 

Rembrandt van Rijn, Homer, 1663, Oil on canvas, 42.1” x 32.3”, The Maritshuis

https://www.mauritshuis.nl/en/our-collection/artworks/584-homer/

This painting of Homer, also commissioned by Count Ruffo, only survives as a charred fragment. Heavily damaged by a fire and cut down to a small portion of the painting, the figure of the poet alone survives. He is not depicted statue-like, an unapproachable paragon of storytelling, but as an old man, blind and feeble. The delicate skin of Aristotle is replaced by thick brushstrokes to make an Italian master shudder. Yet there is a certain care in the face and the unseeing eyes that conveys more than what might be shown by sculptural precision. Only by merging two seemingly distant artistic traditions could Rembrandt create this work, bridging the gap between North and South.