Rembrandt Etchings is an accessible book that will guide you on your visual journey of discovery, and allow you to see why Rembrandt was the greatest of all 17th-century printmakers. You will learn a great deal about the technical aspect of printmaking, Rembrandt's choice of papers, and his expertise in marketing his etchings.
A compelling reconsideration of Rembrandt’s printed oeuvre based on new research into the artist’s life and work As a pioneering printmaker, Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669) stood apart from his contemporaries thanks to his innovative approach to composition and his skillful rendering of space and light. He worked with the medium as a vehicle for artistic expression and experimentation, causing many to proclaim him the greatest etcher of all time. Moreover, the dissemination of the artist’s prints outside of the Dutch Republic during his lifetime contributed greatly to establishing Rembrandt’s reputation throughout Europe. Sumptuously illustrated with comparative paintings and drawings as well as prints, this important volume draws on exciting new scholarship on Rembrandt's etchings. Authors Jaco Rutgers and Timothy J. Standring examine the artist’s prints from many angles. They reveal how Rembrandt intentionally varied the states of his etchings, printed them on exotic papers, and retouched prints by hand to create rarities for a clientele that valued unique impressions.
A stunning catalogue of the seventy religious prints from the 2017 exhibition, featuring detailed background information on each piece. Rembrandt’s stunning religious prints stand as evidence of the Dutch master’s extraordinary skill as a technician and as a testament to his genius as a teller of tales. Here, several virtually unknown etchings, collected by the Feddersen family and now preserved for the ages at the University of Notre Dame, are made widely available in a lavishly illustrated volume. Building on the contributions of earlier Rembrandt scholars, noted art historian Charles M. Rosenberg illuminates each of the seventyreligious prints through detailed background information on the artist’s career as well as the historical, religious, and artistic impulses informing their creation. Readers will enjoy an impression of the earliest work, The Circumcision (1625-26); the famous Hundred Guilder Print; the enigmatic eighth state of Christ Presented to the People; one of a handful of examples of the very rare final posthumous state of The Three Crosses; and an impression and counterproof of The Triumph of Mordecai. From the joyous epiphany of the coming of the Messiah to the anguish of the betrayal of a father (Jacob) by his children, from choirs of angels waiting to receive the Virgin into heaven to the dog who defecates in the road by an ancient inn (The Good Samaritan), Rembrandt’s etchings offer a window into the nature of faith, aspiration, and human experience, ranging from the ecstatically divine to the worldly and mundane. Ultimately, these prints—modest, intimate, fragile objects—are great works of art which, like all masterpieces, reward us with fresh insights and discoveries at each new encounter. “Despite many reliable catalogues of Rembrandt etchings, very few have focused on the religious content of these prints. The outstanding range of the Feddersen Collection offers an excellent occasion for closer examination of Rembrandt’s development—as a printmaker but also as a spiritual devout Christian, especially evident from his thoughtful return to the same subjects across his career. Charles Rosenberg and his team at the Snite Museum deserve our thanks for fresh analysis of Rembrandt’s religious prints, combined with the latest scholarship on the artist and his etchings output. Rembrandt scholars but also all lovers of the artist will want to consult this important catalogue.” —Larry Silver, author (with Shelley Perlove) of Rembrandt’s Faith: Church and Temple in the Dutch Golden Age “Rembrandt’s etchings of religious themes capture the emotional heart of their subjects through a uniquely inventive approach to both technique and content. . . . The seventy prints gathered by Jack and Alfrieda Feddersen span the full range of Rembrandt’s production and offer an outstanding resource for appreciation and research. This catalogue tells the fascinating story of how the collection was formed and brings a fresh analysis to each print. Charles Rosenberg’s extensive catalogue entries will be useful reading for anyone interested in the history of European art and one of its most talented practitioners, Rembrandt van Rijn.” —Stephanie Dickey, Queen’s University
"Rembrandt was the most original printmaker of all time. In no fewer than 300 images he covered the full range of styles and subjects for which he is celebrated, including self-portraits, scenes from the Bible, vignettes of everyday life and character studies. The well-known 'Hundred Guilder print', the 'Three Trees' and the 'Three Crosses' are among his most extraordinary creations. He was also famously experimental, often reworking and scratching at his copper plates to improve and extend their expressive power. The results can look startlingly modern, and continue to inspire artists today. This catalogue, compiled by three leading authorities on Rembrandt and printmaking, aims to illustrate a representative selection of his finest prints. Exciting new areas of research have opened up in recent years, making it possible not only to follow the progress of Rembrandt's work on each plate, but also revealing details of his practice of revising the images at various times during his life. The different papers he used will be studied and all the watermarks reproduced. The role played by Rembrandt's preparatory drawings is also now better understood, and all these new insights are presented to a wider public for the first time in this lavishly illustrated volume"--Provided by publisher.
"Rembrandt was the most original printmaker of all time. In no fewer than 300 images he covered the full range of styles and subjects for which he is celebrated, including self-portraits, scenes from the Bible, vignettes of everyday life and character studies. The well-known 'Hundred Guilder print', the 'Three Trees' and the 'Three Crosses' are among his most extraordinary creations. He was also famously experimental, often reworking and scratching at his copper plates to improve and extend their expressive power. The results can look startlingly modern, and continue to inspire artists today. This catalogue, compiled by three leading authorities on Rembrandt and printmaking, aims to illustrate a representative selection of his finest prints. Exciting new areas of research have opened up in recent years, making it possible not only to follow the progress of Rembrandt's work on each plate, but also revealing details of his practice of revising the images at various times during his life. The different papers he used will be studied and all the watermarks reproduced. The role played by Rembrandt's preparatory drawings is also now better understood, and all these new insights are presented to a wider public for the first time in this lavishly illustrated volume"--Provided by publisher.
The Dresden collection's singular group of Rembrandt works - about 20 drawings attributed to the master today and the nearly complete oeuvre of etchings- will provide the basis for this remarkable publication. It will have a particular focus on Rembrandt's narrative compositions, printed self-portraits, studies of his wife Saskia, and will include works from all periods of his oeuvre plus prints and drawings by artists from his workshop and followers. The list of artists who understood Rembrandt as a dynamic authority and source of inspiration is long, reaching from his immediate followers to masters of the 18th century, from Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione to Jonathan Richardson to the kindred spirit Francisco de Goya, into the 20th century and up to the present day. Examples include Edouard Manet, Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, Lovis Corinth, Kathe Kollwitz, Max Beckmann, Pablo Picasso, as well as Marlene Dumas and William Kentridge and artists from the GDR such as A.R. Penck. By including works by these artists, the exhibtion and catalogue foreground Rembrandt as one of the most important `artists' artist' of all time. Select juxtapositions will help the reader better understand the fireworks of creativity that Rembrandt not only lit in his own time but those he continues to ignite today. Exhibition: Kupferstich-Kabinett, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, Dresden, Germany (14.06.-15.09.2019).