Acclaimed as one of the greatest painters that ever lived, Rembrandt's is also dubbed as "one of the greatest prophets of civilization." And unlike many artists who have post humus fame, Rembrandts was a very successful artist in field in his youth, albeit he suffered financial difficulties later on in his life and failed to recuperate from his debts.
Born in 1606 in Leiden, Netherlands, Rembrandt belonged to a middle class family. He was sent to a Latin school and was sent as a painter's apprentice early in his life. At the age of about 18 or 19, he opened his studio at a very tender age and began accepting students.
Rembrandt married Saskia Van Uylenburg in 1635. Saskia was the cousin of Hendrick Van Uylenburg, a man with whom Rembrandt used to work with when he moved to Amsterdam. His marriage to Saskia was the start of hi life's challenges. Three out of their fours children died and only one survived adulthood. Titus, the surviving child had a nanny when Saskia became ill, probably of tuberculosis. This nanny, Geertje Dircx, also became Rembrandt's lover. Geertje would later accuse Rembrandt of breach of promise and she would win the case and receive 200 guilders a year. Rembrandt retaliated with this by committing her to twelve years in an asylum when he found out the Geertje sold or pawned jewelry which Rembrandt gave to his wife, Saskia.
Rembrandt and Saskia mortgaged a house for 13,000 guilders. This purchase would soon be the root cause of his financial failure, not that he could not afford it but his spending habits were not practical. He was spending money at about the same pace that he was earning them. The house is now called the Rembrandt House Museum. Saskia died in 1642 and Rembrandt painted her on her death bed-considered as one on Rembrandt's most moving works of art.
Among his trysts were Hendrickje Stoffels, a considerably young maid which he had a relationship with in the late 1640s. Stoffels helped Rembrandt alleviate his financial condition by setting up a business with Rembrandt's son Titus and hiring Rembrandt as an employee. This was necessary since the painting guild issue a new ruling that no one could trade as a painter in Rembrandt's wing. Rembrandt did not marry Hendrickje Stoffels for legal purposes. If he did, he would lose his rights to his son's trust fund, which he used for his own living as Titus was very young.
Rembrandt is famous for his etchings and depictions of biblical scenes. He was also known for having changed his painting style several times, the most prominent of which transpired in the 1650s when he put in more colors to his paint and made his brush strokes richer and more pronounced.
In summation, Rembrandt is still one of the greatest painters that ever lived, notwithstanding his failure in managing his finances. After all, artists are know for having eccentric or weird behavior, and these behaviors are always compensated by what they can do or what they have contributed to society.
Mark Traston is an associate with Portrait Painting. The company specializes in turning a photo to painting. Each portrait artist specializes in a specific area including wedding paintings, pet portraits, and executive portraits
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