Rembrandt: Prints ‘of a Particular Spirit’

Pasadena, CA—In celebration of the installation of Rembrandt’s Self Portrait at the Age of 34, on loan from The National Gallery, London, the Norton Simon Museum presents Rembrandt: Prints ‘of a Particular Spirit,’ a focused exploration of the artist’s graphic output between 1630 and 1640, a period in which his creative evolution and technical refinement reached new heights. Drawing from the Norton Simon’s rich collection of Rembrandt etchings, this exhibition gives viewers the opportunity to examine the artist’s inspired storytelling and sensitive studies of landscape and the human face.

Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669) was the premier portrait painter of Amsterdam in the mid-17th century, and his masterful history paintings drew admiration from his aristocratic patrons. While many artists employed professional printmakers to spread their achievements, only a handful learned printmaking themselves, and fewer still left such a profound effect on the medium as Rembrandt. Taking up etching needle and copper plate early in his career, Rembrandt crafted energetic images that were prized by connoisseurs and imitated by artists. One contemporary English collector, John Evelyn, pronounced him “the incomparable Rembrandt, whose etchings and gravings are of a particular spirit.”

The 21 works on view in this exhibition range from landscapes, such as View of Amsterdam from the Northwest, c. 1640, to religious subjects including Joseph Telling His Dreams, from 1638, and figure studies like Self-Portrait with Saskia, 1636, and Old Man Shading His Eyes with His Hand, c. 1639. Together these works demonstrate Rembrandt’s technical finesse and ingenuity during the 1630s. As Rembrandt’s career was reaching new heights, some of his boldest compositional treatments were subjects that he rarely addressed in paint, but gave exceptional vitality in print. Characterized by the delicate network of lines, these works imitate the immediacy of drawings while evoking the formalities of careful study and deliberate execution. It is a testament to Rembrandt’s singularity that we are equally captivated by his etchings today as audiences were in the 17th century.

Rembrandt: Prints ‘of a Particular Spirit’ is organized by Casey Lee, academic intern at the Norton Simon Museum (2016–17). It is on view in the small exhibition gallery on the main level from Dec. 8, 2017, through March 5, 2018.