rembrandt van jin, self portrait at the age of 63

Question 1

date

Answer 1

1669

Question 2

comparison to portrait at age of 34

Answer 2

connected as he didnt use this pose in any other of his self portraits

CLOTHES
were luxiours and extravegant and went to humble

POSITION
inspspiration from old masters (the pose in tintus with a blue sleeve)

POSE
in self portrait age 34 the pose is more grandiose and boastful, as 63 the pose is still there (reminds us of his status and accomplishment as an artist) but is also humble, portrays the pains and sorrows endured in his life

However dignity still remains in his pose, just more subtle, pride in his work (no longer pushing body out to viewer

pride beneath suffering- perhaps pride in his career and religion

Question 3

what was among the last of his possessions

Answer 3

a bible

none of his portraits left in his house when he died, they had been sold (shows desperation and desirability of work) e.g Cosimo ii de medici had a self portrait

Question 4

humanism

Answer 4

Rembrandt’s self portraits in the context of Italian Renaissance Masters. It was not a tradition in Dutch painting until after Vasari’s Lives became widely circulated.

-renewed interest in individual achievement, not just work

Self portraits allowed artists to participate actively in this cult of famous men, They became an important means of promoting an artist’s talent and fame

Question 5

colour pallette

Answer 5

He loves gold, bronze, brown - warm, living colours.

corresponds to fading ambience of light

earthy and subdued, contrasts opulence of self portrait age 34

Question 6

effect of plain background and obscuring body

Answer 6

-dark

Question 7

how is the pose in self portrait age 34 and 63 influenced by old masters

Answer 7

inspspiration from old masters (the pose in titians man with a blue sleeve)

Question 8

what were rembrandts different self portraiture periods

Answer 8

1620s- developing technique

1630s-40s- self promotion

1650s-1660s- self exploration (identity0

Question 9

why did rembrandt depict himself in self portraiture so often

Answer 9

-practice of technique (useful as he wouldnt have to pay for a sitter)

-self examination

-self promotion

-they sold due to the thriving market of self portraiture

Question 10

when did self portraiture emerge:

Answer 10

15th century (1400s renaissance era, humanism)

-first portrait was ‘portrait of a man’ by Eyck

Question 11

when did rembrandt die

Answer 11

1669, was put in an anonymus grave (not long after portrait made, end of life emphasised by reflective tone)

Question 12

how many portraits did he make in his career

Answer 12

75, this was his last one

Question 13

wghat does his age reflect

Answer 13

reflecting on life and his true self

Question 14

why could he look somber

Answer 14

close to death,

death of son in 1669 (same year)

became bankrupt and had to sell all his paintings

Question 15

when did his son die

Answer 15

1669, same year as this was painted

Question 16

pose

Answer 16

3/4 view emmulates old master tradition

hands clasped

influence of tititans man with a blue sleeve- just less boastful and chest less puffed out

links to self portrait at age of 34 but less proud

sense of dignity and humbleness

Question 17

expression

Answer 17

sullen - evokes suffering and reflection

eye contact creates intimacy

Question 18

use of light

Answer 18

chiaroscuro (intesti, reflects realism)

directional rembrandt lighting illuminates figure

fading of light obscures the body and draws attention to expression of the face and its hyper realism

halo-like painted light effect that surrounds Rembrandt’s head in the

shows transcience of life

Thesoft and delicate use of chiaroscuro echoes the ‘last light’ of his life

Question 19

pallet

Answer 19

natural, warm, humble, dark

Question 20

use of texture

Answer 20

uses variaety of oil to achieve texture

-used to portray wears of age

-seen on nose and fine lines, effect of aged flaking skin

-scumbling for whispy hair

-used variety of types of oil to achieve texture

different densities of brush

paint of face applied thickly to show texture of aged face

Question 21

brushstrokes

Answer 21

variety of oil with different densities of brushes leaving paints to dry for different amounts of time to achieve texture

Question 22

paint of face

Answer 22

*The paint on his face is applied much more thickly than elsewhere, evoking the texture of aged flesh

Question 23

how is his religious identity expressed

Answer 23

believed in showing true identity as protestant so didnt idealise himself and showed himself in his true vunerable state

calvanist, stripped back examines his soul, halo of light eminting from him

at end of life one of his last possessions was a bible

Question 24

how is his autobiographical identity shown

Answer 24

dignity of career
age
humbleness
pain and suffering

Question 25

how long after this peice did he die

Answer 25

- not long after, buried in an anonymus grave, no official announcement of his death was made - shows his decline before death, this painting reflects humbleness

Question 26

what was in the origional painting that he painted out

Answer 26

initally there was a paint brush and an artists cap, but he painted it out as he wanted to focus on him as a man introspection of his soul

Question 27

clothes

Answer 27

formal berett subdued colours/ tones

Question 28

effect of gaze and eyes

Answer 28

The depth of the painting comes, as it were, through his eyes which seem to guide us into his very soul.

Question 29

how was the pigment created

Answer 29

To create the white we see on Rembrandt’s hat, he would have had to dip strips of led into buckets of hot vinegar to yield lead-white powder. the dark tones and particular black would have been gleaned by burning pitch or tar to create oily soot

Question 30

kenneth clarke quotes:

Answer 30

‘Rembrandt, who was essentially a Protestant, saw each sitter as an individual human soul whose weaknesses and imperfections must not be disguised, '. It was this pre-occupation with the individual which led him to study his own face so relentlessly’.