Harmensz Van Rembrandt's Baroque Art

Born on July 15, 1606, Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn entered a family of ten as the eighth child in Leiden, Netherlands. Two of his siblings died as infants which seemed just to be the beginning of loss that Rembrandt would experience. He did not come from a family of artists, his father a miller and his mother a baker, and started preparation for college at a Latin school where he studied Biblical and classical literature. At the age of 14, Rembrandt was enrolled in the University of Leiden; however, the material he was learning did not interest him. Instead of continuing his studies at university, he became apprenticed to a local artist before continuing his learning in art with a man in Amsterdam. After six months in Amsterdam, Rembrandt had

During the Baroque period, the Catholic church was battling the protestant reformation. In order to secure the Catholic power back over the people, Baroque art work focused on creating naturalistic religious scenes that could become more accessible and relatable to the middle and lower classes. Another aspect of Baroque art was dramatic movement and dazzling embellishments to show the power and grandeur of the church. Because the middle class was becoming involved in art, Rembrandt received commissions for portraits from middle class patrons. He also participated in the religious elements of the Baroque period, painting religious scenes such as “The Blinding of Samson” and mythological scenes like “Danae”, one of Zeus’s

Possibly one of his most renowned works, “The Night Watch” was originally thought to be a night scene hence the name. However, it was later discovered that heavy coats of varnish covered the brilliant colors and daylight scene underneath. This painting was commissioned by the guild hall that housed Amsterdam’s civic guard that defended the city. Rembrandt incorporated each man’s role into what could have been just a boring portrait painting by having the men spring into action and carry out their duties as a guard. The action, facial expressions, weapons, and clothing create a dynamic scene demonstrating Rembrandt’s eye for detail and ability to transform the ordinary into something