Eye to Eye with Rembrandt: Etched Portraits and Self-Portraits

Eye-to-Eye with Rembrandt: Etched Portraits and Self Portraits  examines the great Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn's technical and stylistic innovations in etched portraits and self-portraits. In breadth, skill of execution, creative design and expressiveness of mood, Rembrandt's etched portraiture was unprecedented in seventeenth-century Holland. Portraiture was much in demand amongst the Dutch burgher class, and Rembrandt's earliest reputation following his move to Amsterdam was based on the popularity of his painted portraits. In the etching medium, Rembrandt felt considerably freer to choose his subjects. The majority of his portrait prints were private, and for his earliest studies, he used himself and family members as subjects. In etched portraiture, Rembrandt could indulge his interest in and sympathy for the complex world of feelings and emotions.

The exhibition is a complement to the special exhibit Encountering the Dutch Likeness: Portraiture in 17th Century Holland.