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1658 was not among the best years for Rembrandt (1606-1669). In fact, from 1642, the date of his painting The Night Watch and the date of the death of his beloved wife, Saskia, the artist had suffered a continual slide into financial difficulties. In 1656, he had to declare bankruptcy, a near mortal sin in the righteous and prosperous Protestant society of 17th century Amsterdam. The list of all the treasures he had to sell off did come in handy centuries later when the Rembrandt Museum used it to find period pieces to reinstall in his former home as displays in the museum. However, the original sale was a very painful experience. As bad as all that loss was for the artist, the worst was that the artists’ guild forbade him from selling his work directly, as his state of financial disarray made him appear disreputable. Rembrandt had to have his then common-law wife, Hendrickje Stoffels, and his son, Titus, form a company that dealt in art, where they as art dealers could sell his work.
Yet, despite all of this hardship, Rembrandt turned to one of his favorite forms, the self-portrait, as a handy way to boost his own ego and create an effective piece of personal propaganda. In the self-portrait above, we see him dressed to the nines, holding a walking stick (symbol of a refined gentleman) and looking out at us with an unwavering gaze. This painting is a reminder that he was the same person who had once been so favored by everyone. He stares us down as if to say, “I am still Rembrandt.”
Rembrandt is currently referred to as the original master of the “selfie.” His life can be cataloged in terms of his self-portraits. Of course in his day, they were normally done as etchings or paintings. He started creating these when a young artist in Leiden, his birthplace. It seems that he would pose himself and copy the mirror image. His variety of expressions seem to be what he used instead of models, whom he would have had to pay. In the etchings below, we see him making faces. On occasion he would then use them on different bodies to create dramatic characters, like the pauper seen below.
This Laughing Rembrandt, now in the Getty Museum comes from 1628. One of the things about it that Rembrandt was often criticized for by some of his patrons was that the verisimilitude of the face was not quite right. In other words, he did not always capture the likeness of those whom he drew and painted. Yet Rembrandt was more about the essence, and here we see a happy young man who might probably over spend on his pleasures.
Rembrandt moved to Amsterdam in 1631, after having had the patronage of a statesman, Constantign Huygens, who got him some prestigious portrait commissions among those close to the court in The Hague. For example, Prince Frederick Hendrik was a faithful patron of Rembrandt until 1645. Once in Amsterdam, the young artist’s work was represented by the art dealer Hendrick Uylenburgh from whom Rembrandt rented a studio and living space. It was there that, Rembrandt met Uylenburgh’s cousin, Saskia. With commissions coming in, he joined the painters’ guild, The Guild of St. Luke, married Saskia, and ultimately moved into the heavily mortgaged home he was to lose years later.
The painting above from that period shows Rembrandt posed with his wife, Saskia, ostensibly in the fun part of a religious scene based on the biblical story of The Prodigal Son. However, in some ways, since Rembrandt led a rather flamboyant public life, it was something that stuck in the craw of the black and white glad, Calvinistic Protestants of that day. The citizens of The Dutch Republic raked in treasure from around the world with their trading companies, but the dictates of their religion preached that they must remain humble, quite a feat to accomplish. For more on that period and the real formation of The Dutch Republic, which became the Netherlands, read Simon Schama’s, An Embarrassment of Riches, on the Dutch Golden Age. (Don’t miss the part where the city fathers decided to take away the doll-like Christmas cookies and candies because they were “idolatrous,” only to cause a children’s riot.)
Although we see here Rembrandt’s powerful painting of The Return of the Prodigal Son (1663-1669), his own public redemption was far off. Though this is not one of his “selfies,” in a way it is, for it is done in those last years of his life when his fortunes continued to slide. Living as he did in and around the Jewish quarter, he often talked with rabbis about religious topics, as he continued to paint religious subjects. One of his most famous pieces from that time is The Jewish Bride (1665-1669). Perhaps he took comfort in that possibility of redemption, as the prodigal took comfort in his father’s embrace.
The close up above shows how refined Rembrandt’s use of light and shadow had become over the years. He knew just where to have spots of light and how to fade other details into shadowy background. Once again we see the influence of what he learned in those early self-portraits. For instance, in the pieces below, he uses shadow on one side of the face. The head is turned toward us though the body faces a bit away from the viewer. In some ways it is reminiscent of Titian’s work in the previous century, in which he would have the body face-on but the head turned to the side and often partially in shadow. The use of shadow in these portraits works to create appeal. In the first one, we wonder who is this young man in the feathered cap? What is he about? In the last of these three, we see a sensitive face with the slightly furrowed brow and direct eye contact that would indicate a serious young man. However, there is mystery, as we do not see his full face and the shadows are quite deep. The middle face shows vulnerability with all but the pupils of the eyes hidden by the shadow of his unkempt hair. His mouth opens as if in surprise that we have caught him.
Regardless of his financial status, Rembrandt knew his talents and continued to expand them until his dying day. Though he died a pauper, not unlike another great genius, Mozart, Rembrandt is now considered to be the greatest of the Dutch painters of the 17th century. His work The Night Watch, though some scholars speculate it marked the beginning of his troubles as some of the men pictured may not have liked their portraits, has become the Dutch National Painting and resides in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The streets were lined with people to see the crated painting moved by a team of men pulling it on rollers to the newly renovated museum. Take a look at this segment of Andrew Graham Dixon’s A Night at the Rijksmuseum video, start around minute 5:12 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9oyL9oyUWE.
So yes, in the final analysis, Rembrandt is still Rembrandt for us all to enjoy. Perhaps, if we look carefully at his life’s work of self-portraits, we can learn a lot from him and the story those selfies tell. Just look into his eyes.
Rembrandt is not the only artist to show us his own personal image. The first artist self portrait done in highly realistic fashion was that of Jan Van Eyck in 1433. However many painters have done their portraits,and just as in the case of the Rembrandt portrait above, a look into the artist’s eyes can tell a lot about who they are. Click through the webstory, “The Eyes of the Artists in Self-Portraits.” See if you can name the artist just by the eyes. https://ofartandwine.com/web-stories/the-eyes-of-artists/
Images of Rembrandt’s paintings are in public domain.
Marjorie Vernelle is an artist, writer, college professor, and traveler. For more see the Pages at ofartandwine.comor her author page at amazon.com and her art at Vernelle Art Boutique vernellestudio.com.
Fine Aged Wines
The first question asked about aged wine is this: What is it? Well, the simple definition is wine stored in a cool, dark place for a number of years. Then comes the matter of what that does to the wine. Well, it creates flavors and aromas otherwise not achieved. But the big question comes next. Why?
The why of aged wines is a matter of poetry. Wines carry the flavors of the soil the grapes grow in, and that soil is affected by climate conditions from year to year. That likewise has an effect on the grapes. Beyond that comes the inventiveness of the particular vintner. Take someone like Eternal Wines’ vintner, Brad Binko, who likes to change the production process some every year “to be true to the grapes,” as he puts it. So as with poetry, you have the elements you must deal with (soil or words) and then the magic touch of the vintner or the poet to make a worthy creation. Of course, in wine making these elements are present in every year’s creation, but some years are exceptional as are the wines created. When this happens, those few premium wines may wind up being aged to preserve and enrich that special something that happened in a particular year.
So that is the story from the vintners’ point of view, but how about the consumer? Well, consumers can be poets, too. Some people love feeling that they are tasting a bit of the past. This is especially true if, for instance, something special happened to them in a certain year, perhaps a marriage or the birth of a child. Other people want to have a wine from the year of their own birth. In fact in 2020, there is a Clos Rene Red, bottled in 1960, that is being marketed for those who wish to celebrate their sixtieth by tasting something that came into being the same year that they did. That bottle only costs $247.00.
However, one need not spend a fortune. If 1989 is your special year, you can get a Juffer Riesling Auslese (late harvest) for a mere $37.94. In fact, there are a number of aged wines that are approachable financially, like the 2015 Il Borro Rosso for $52. On the other hand, we know that the very special aged wines cost a fortune, such as Lafite Rothschild Bordeaux, $20,000 or the Chateau Mouton Rothchild Pauillac, $33,000. Expensive I know, but there is always Lotto.
Of course, the reality is that most wine is not meant to be aged. The rule of thumb is not to even contemplate it for anything under $30.00. Those are ones you drink now. If they cost more than that, you might keep them for up to 5 years – not 50 mind you, but 5 years. Really only premium wines should be candidates for any kind of aging and then under strict conditions. Red wines are normally the ones aged, as the process lets heavy tannins settle and makes the taste smoother. As for whites, they turn a rather amber color and may even seem oily. However, some types age better than others. Riesling and Semillon are good candidates, but the best may be oak-aged Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay. In terms of how long to keep a wine after the bottle has been opened, white wine should be drunk within a few days and red wines may last for up to three weeks.
Since premium wines are the only ones suggested for aging, should you want to get involved in that, you might try finding your favorite premium wines through a wine club like Cellars Wine Club. The Premium Wine Club has selections starting at $42. and Cellars has a “no bad bottle” return policy and free shipping. You can check them out here by going to the Cellars Wine Club page (right hand side of this page) or directly to cellarswineclub.com
So since aging is something we all do, let’s try to make it as comfortable, rewarding, and enjoyable as possible. Cheers!
Photos of wine images from free stock photos at Pixabay.com
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©marjorie vernelle 2020
Coming soon on Of Art and Wine: Bronzino’s The Allegory of Love and A Valentine for the Heart, Cabernet.
Love is a complicated affair, as we all know. However, Agnolo Bronzino took it a big step further in this allegorical painting (1545) done for Duke Cosimo the First of Tuscany as a gift for King Francis I of France. From lust to folly, from truth to fraud and the unveiling of all things by Father Time, Bronzino covers it all. If the painting and its story make your heart race, fear not. Just calm down with a nice little glass of Cabernet; it’s healthy for your heart. Happy Valentine’s Day to all from Of Art and Wine.