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Th e Pa i n t e r Th i n k i n gR E M BR A N DT

Ernst van de Wetering

RembrandtThe Painter Thinking

Even during the artist's lifetime, contemporary art lovers considered Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) to be an exceptional artist. In this revelatory sequel to the acclaimed Rembrandt: The Painter at Work, renowned Rembrandt authority Ernst van de Wetering investigates the painter’s considerations that determined the striking changes in his development from an early age onwards.

Coming next spring, this gorgeously illustrated book explores how Rembrandt achieved mastery by systematic exploration of the 'foundations of the art of painting'. According to written sources from the seventeenth century, which were largely misinterpreted until now, these ‘foundations’ were considered essential at that time. From his f irst endeavours in painting, Rembrandt embarked on a journey past these foundations, thus becoming the 'pittore famoso', whom Count Cosimo the Medici visited at the end of his life.

Rembrandt never stopped searching for solutions to the pictorial problems that confronted him; this led over time to radical changes that cannot simply be attributed to stylistic evolution or natural development.

In a quest as rigorous and novel as the artist's, Van de Wetering reveals how Rembrandt became the revolutionary painter that would continue to fascinate the art world. This ground breaking exploration reconstructs Rembrandt's theories and methods, shedding new light both on the artist's exceptional accomplishments and on the theory and practice of painting in the Dutch Golden Age.

The Painter Thinking CH2 060-221 V6.qxp_V6 29-09-15 19:32 Pagina 199

Ernst van de Wetering (1938) is emeritus professor of art

history. He became a team-member of the Rembrandt

Research Project in 1968 and its chairman in 1993. Originally

trained as a painter and art-historian, he worked from

1969-1987 in the Amsterdam based Central Research

Laboratory of Objects of Art and Science. From 1987-2002

he taught at the University of Amsterdam. In 2003/2004

he was Slade Professor at the University of Oxford.

He is considered one of the world's foremost specialists on

Rembrandt and his work. In 1997, he published the widely

acclaimed monograph Rembrandt: The Painter at Work

(2nd ed. 2008). 2014 saw the publication of his monumental

oeuvre catalogue Rembrandt’s Paintings Revisited:

A Complete Survey; the concluding volume of A Corpus of

Rembrandt Paintings.

245 x 280 mm

356 pages

270-300 colour illustrations

Hardback ISBN 978 94 6298 152 2

€89.00 / £64.00

Paperback ISBN 978 90 8964 561 6

€44.95 / £34.95

For more information you can

go to our website www.aup.nl

or order through

www.nbninternational.com


We learn from what Vasari has written, to our greatprofit, about the great Titian, how in the bloom ofhis youth he used to execute his artworks indus -triously with incredible neatness; and his workswere beyond reproach, indeed they pleased everyone,whether one stood at a distance or close up. But in the end he executed his work very differently, with blotches and rough strokes and of course that looked well if one stood at quite a distance,but it could not be viewed close up (fig. 186).292

Although Van Mander admitted thatTitian’s late works looked good, even if only from a distance, there was an important reason for sounding a warning against working in the rough manner: Several masters, wishing to follow this in theirwork, have made nothing substantial but haverather produced a lot of ugly dross. They thoughtthey could do as well as those who were well

practised and have deceived themselves with a mistaken idea, because they thought that his[Titian’s] works had been made effortlessly, whereas in fact the utmost competence had beendeployed with [great] effort; for one sees that hisworks have several times been painted again andcovered with [fresh] paint: There is more effort init than one would think. […] the effort is hiddenin it by great artistry. 293

It is important for our understanding ofRembrandt’s eventual choice of the roughmanner to be aware that as early as the timeof Vasari and Van Mander, there was noinconsistency or conflict seen between therough manner and a convincing illusion, aslong as the work was painted by a true masterand was viewed from a certain distance. Thisis in fact the clue to the much-quoted storytold by Houbraken in relation to his comment

202 R e m b r a n d t : T h e Pa i n t e r T h i n k i n g

fig. 186 Titian, Boy with dogs, 1570.

Panel, 99.5 x 117 cm (detail).

Rotterdam, Museum Boijmans

Van Beuningen.

page 203 fig. 187 Rembrandt,

Family portrait, c. 1665. Canvas,

126 x 167 cm (detail). Braunschweig,

Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum.


that Rembrandt’s paintings, especially in hislate period, looked as though the paint hadbeen smeared on with a brick layer’s trowel(see fig. 187), which is why, if people came to his studio, and wanted to look at his work close up, he pulledthem back, saying: the smell of the paint willbother you.294

Apart from discussions over the roughand the fine manner of painting,Van Manderexpressed his admiration for the way Italianpainters other than the Venetians used thebrush. His criticism of the way his northerncontemporaries (including himself) paintedis unsparing. Not only does our work look dry but whenwe do our best to paint flesh it still looks like fishor stone.295

So Van Mander exhorts his contempo-raries to consider using the brush and paintdifferently: Do not then remain tied to your false opinion,

like some rigid sect; but change your approach herefreely, it is no sin.296

Rembrandt’s peinture was from the verybeginning remarkably varied. He already useda ‘rough’ way of painting in some of his earlyworks, such as the ‘vidimus’ with David beforeSaul in Basle (figs. 188 and 165). But that wasa rapid oil sketch. If our interpretation of thethree same-sized works on gilded copperfrom around 1630 is correct, Rem brandt didin fact consider the ‘rough’ manner in whichthe Laughing soldier in the Mauritshuis ispainted (fig. 189) a distinct manner to be used when he painted the face of a laughingfigure.297 (see also fig. 126) From c.1650 the breadth of differentiated,free brushwork in Rembrandt’s paintingsbecomes dominant. One could say, albeitwith reservations to be discussed later, thatRembrandt opted from this point on for the ‘rough manner’, although applied withgreater differentiation than by the aged


left fig. 188 Rembrandt, David with

the head of Goliath before Saul, 1627.

Panel, 27.2 x 39.6 cm (detail of fig.

165). Basle, Kunstmuseum.

right fig. 189 Rembrandt, Laughing

soldier, c. 1630. Copper, 15.3 x 12.2 cm

(detail). The Hague, Mauritshuis.


valuable insight into the possibilities of scholarly as wellas scientific methods to gain a deeper understanding ofthe art of painting.

For these reasons this book is already a classic andwill remain an ‘evergreen’ text that will be read andused by generations to come.

About the book

“Who would not have wanted to look overRembrandt’s shoulder while he painted? Among the countless books on Rembrandt, that by Ernst van deWetering comes closest to conveying something ofthis experience because the author combines the qualifications of a trained connoisseur and of a practising painter.”

ERNST GOMBRICH

“Ernst van de Wetering’s wonderful book has takenus further than almost any study over the past twentyyears, towards an understanding of the machinery of Rembrandt’s genius. No one attempting to writeabout Rembrandt in the future will be able to do sowithout taking this fine work into account.”

SIMON SCHAMA

“This is a very rich book, a deeply felt analysis of anartist whom the author knows better than almost anyother living scholar.”

TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT

“The book is, if one may be allowed to say such a thingabout a serious scholarly work, a gripping good-read.”

THE BURL INGTON MAGAZINE

Rembrandt. The Painter at Work is written by ascholar with a broadexperience in severalfields and a rare constellation of talents. This helps explain thebook’s appeal to a widevariety of readers andusers: artists, art histori-ans, conservators/restor-ers, students, as well asart lovers and laymen.

Ernst van de Wetering (b. 1938), emeritus professorof art history at the University of Amsterdam, was initially trained as an artist. He worked for 18 years(1969-1987) together with scientists and restorers at the Dutch Central Laboratory for Art and Science.Since 1968 he has been deeply involved in the investi-gation of paintings by Rembrandt and the paintersaround him in the context of the famous RembrandtResearch Project, whose Chairman and most activeauthor he has been since 1993. He has contributedessential chapters and catalogue texts for four volumesof A Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings and numerous essaysin catalogues for Rembrandt exhibitions, some ofwhich he conceived himself.

Rembrandt. The Painter at Work is a book thatdemonstrates profound empathy with the artisticendeavours of a great artist. But it is not only a bookabout Rembrandt; it is also a synthesis of Van deWetering’s experience and is unique in its combinationof depth and breadth of insight into the genesis ofworks of art. It provides an exemplary frame for anapproach to the study of any painter, as well as beingan eye-opener for contemporary painters with an interest in the technical traditions of their art.

The book is used by a growing number of univer -sities all over the world. On the one hand, it gives students of art history as well as those in the field ofconservation access both to historical studio practice in general and to the interrelationships between craftand creativity. On the other hand, it provides a most

Photo: Willem Diepraam

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revised edition

rembrandtamsterdam university press

The Painter at Work

* cover Rembrandt 2008 AUP:DEF 22-11-2008 14:13 Pagina 1

Also by Ernst van de Wetering:

RembrandtThe Painter at Work

245 x 280 mm

356 pages

228 full colour and 119 b/w illustrations

Paperback ISBN 978 90 8964 033 8

€47.95 / £38.95

'The book is - if one may be allowed to say such a thing about a serious scholarly work - a gripping good-read.'Christopher White -

The Burlington Magazine

'This is a very rich book, a deeply felt analysis of an artist whom the author knows better than almost any other living scholar.'Christopher Brown -

Times Literary Supplement

'Who would not have wanted to look over Rembrandt's shoulder while he painted? Among the countless books on Rembrandt, that by Ernst van de Wetering comes closest to conveying something of this experience because the author combines the qualifications of a trained connoisseur and of a practising painter.'Ernst Gombrich

that Rembrandt’s paintings, especially in hislate period, looked as though the paint hadbeen smeared on with a brick layer’s trowel(see fig. 187), which is why, if people came to his studio, and wanted to look at his work close up, he pulledthem back, saying: the smell of the paint willbother you.294

Apart from discussions over the roughand the fine manner of painting,Van Manderexpressed his admiration for the way Italianpainters other than the Venetians used thebrush. His criticism of the way his northerncontemporaries (including himself) paintedis unsparing. Not only does our work look dry but whenwe do our best to paint flesh it still looks like fishor stone.295

So Van Mander exhorts his contempo-raries to consider using the brush and paintdifferently: Do not then remain tied to your false opinion,

like some rigid sect; but change your approach herefreely, it is no sin.296

Rembrandt’s peinture was from the verybeginning remarkably varied. He already useda ‘rough’ way of painting in some of his earlyworks, such as the ‘vidimus’ with David beforeSaul in Basle (figs. 188 and 165). But that wasa rapid oil sketch. If our interpretation of thethree same-sized works on gilded copperfrom around 1630 is correct, Rem brandt didin fact consider the ‘rough’ manner in whichthe Laughing soldier in the Mauritshuis ispainted (fig. 189) a distinct manner to be used when he painted the face of a laughingfigure.297 (see also fig. 126) From c.1650 the breadth of differentiated,free brushwork in Rembrandt’s paintingsbecomes dominant. One could say, albeitwith reservations to be discussed later, thatRembrandt opted from this point on for the ‘rough manner’, although applied withgreater differentiation than by the aged


left fig. 188 Rembrandt, David with

the head of Goliath before Saul, 1627.

Panel, 27.2 x 39.6 cm (detail of fig.

165). Basle, Kunstmuseum.

right fig. 189 Rembrandt, Laughing

soldier, c. 1630. Copper, 15.3 x 12.2 cm

(detail). The Hague, Mauritshuis.


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