The Apostle Rembrandt Analysis

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I believe we can reasonably understand why Rembrandt chose this Biblical situation with the two characters. What is noteworthy, is his arrangement. The son is the first face we see. By use of his arm, Rembrandt led our eye from him to Saskia, the real reason he is there. From her, we transition back to him; but, in between them we see the other vice. His composition is full of movement and excitement. The line work is busy and almost chaotic. The only straight lines are the sword and glass; however, both are tilted.
The attention to the fine detail is clearly baroque. Three notable examples. Close examination of the plume in his hat. He could have presented a feather with a few strokes; but, he gave us light detail on a dark background. One …show more content…

Except for Christ, one of the most influential individuals in the early Christian church. This; however, is not how he started. Saul was a well-educated devout Jew. As recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, he aggressively and violently persecuted the early Christians. It wasn’t until his conversion on the Damascus road, detailed in Acts of the Apostles, that he was an entirely changed man. The transformation was so life changing that he was given the new name of Paul. The core of the story is hope, no one is beyond redemption. Rembrandt was very familiar with this story as well as its multiple facets. Christopher Braider in his Review: Rembrandt Agonistes, states, “by identifying himself with St. Paul in the late Self-Portrait as the Apostle Paul, Rembrandt identifies his art with the darkly distorting "glass" of 1 Corinthians” . As we will discover, this statement is underscored by the use of color and …show more content…

Comparing his palette for each work, he moves from lively, almost an optimistic mix of colors. In the Prodigal Son, the colors are high value, as Rembrandt style goes. The paints are almost glowing and support the appearance of movement. Furthermore, they establish presents and add to the energy of the painting. On the contrary, as the Apostle Paul, he has embraced a darker palette. He distinctly moved away from higher values to a much lower set. The pigment choice is more muted and substantially less