Almost everyone knows Rembrandt was a famous painter who lived a few hundred years ago. But did you know that in addition to being acclaimed for his dramatic oil paintings, he was hailed in his time for his detailed etchings–some not much bigger than a Yu-Gi-Oh card, others nearly as small as a postage stamp?
Rembrandt van Rijn–who along with Michelangelo and Raphael is one of only a handful of artists known by their first names–is considered one of the most imaginative printmakers of all times. He used a sharp tool to draw on copper plates, then made prints of the drawings.
“Prints are a way for more than one person to own an original piece of an artist’s work,” explains Alan Artner, the Tribune’s art critic.
Rembrandt’s etchings are incredibly detailed, created of many thin lines, almost scratches. With these slashes and strokes he conveys a startling array of moods and emotions and amazing tones of light and dark.
“People describe [the prints] using words like color, and here they are, black and white,” says Mike Venezia, author and illustrator of “Rembrandt,” one of 40 books and videos he has done in the “Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists” series (Childrens Press, $6.95).
Venezia calls the Dutch artist “the ultimate master of the etching.”
“If you see [one of his] landscapes,” Venezia says, “he makes you feel the wind or the rainstorm or see the green grass in the foreground blowing in the breeze. . . . He is able to create something in your mind.”
An exhibit that concentrates on his work as a printmaker, “Rembrandt’s Journey: Painter, Draftsman, Etcher,” opened recently at the Art Institute of Chicago. Kids will be interested to learn that a smaller concurrent show at the Art Institute, called “Rembrandt’s Studio,” also showcases the types of tools he used for his etchings and offers demonstrations where you can learn to make prints the way Rembrandt did.
Printmaking is one of the oldest art forms; it commonly was used to illustrate books. But Rembrandt wasn’t afraid to try different things, and his techniques added excitement to a previously dull and dry art enterprise.
He also wasn’t afraid to be different: In his time, prints were a way for artists to get exposure for their paintings. Some artists who wished to publicize their work, such as Peter Paul Rubens, had prints made of their paintings. Rembrandt made fast “sketches” with oil paint, then turned them into etchings. It was a primary art form for him.
You’ve probably done a basic form of printmaking if you’ve ever carved a design into Styrofoam or into an apple or a potato, dipped it in tempera paint, and “printed” the design onto paper.
Rembrandt used three more advanced techniques to make his prints: etching, engraving and drypoint.
Learning etching can be a good experience for kids, Venezia says. “It uses chemistry, acids eating away and stuff,” he says. “Then learning how to print it, how much ink to use, how much pressure to put on the plate. … I had a great time in high school making etchings.”
Rembrandt and his time
1606
Rembrandt is born on July 15 in Leiden, Holland.
Shakespeare writes “King Lear” and “Hamlet.”
1607
Jamestown Colony, the first permanent English settlement, is founded in Virginia.
1620
Dropped out of the university to pursue art.
The Pilgrims set sail on the Mayflower.
1626
Makes his first etching.
Dutch colony of New Amsterdam founded; Dutch explorer Peter Minuit barters $24 in goods for the island of Manhattan.
1631-34
At age 28, marries Saskia Uylenburgh, 21.
1641
First printed biography of Rembrandt appears.
1642
Saskia dies nine months after giving birth to the couple’s only living child, Titus.
1643
Louis XIV becomes monarch of France at age 4; work begins at the palace at Versailles.
1648
End of Thirty Years War, which ravaged much of Europe, pitting Protestants against Catholics. Dutch Republic gained recognition.
1654
A daughter, Cornelia, is born to Rembrandt and Hendrickje Stoffels, his former servant.
1656-58
Declares bankruptcy; his art collection, his house and all its goods are sold at auction.
1663
Hendrickje Stoffels dies.
1664
England seizes New Amsterdam from the Dutch, changes name to New York.
1668
Titus dies.
1669
Rembrandt dies on Oct. 4.
Sources: Art Institute of Chicago, Historical Timeline.com.
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How did he do that?
To make his prints, Rembrandt used three techniques: engraving, etching and drypoint. He used them alone or in combination.
With each, he incised or scratched his drawings into copper plates. (Copper is soft and not difficult to scratch.) After the drawing was complete, ink was applied to the plate and wiped away. The plate was sandwiched between paper and a protective felt covering, feed through a hand-cranked printing press, and the image was printed.
To make an engraving, Rembrandt carved his drawing into the copper plate with a tool called a “burin,” which has a sharp, diamond-shaped tip.
Etching developed as a substitute for engraving. It involved coating the copper plate with acid-resistant wax or resin, called “ground.” Rembrandt made his drawing in the ground with a needle-like tool. The plate then was dipped in acid, where the exposed metal was eaten away, causing the lines of his drawing to become deeper grooves.
Etching was more like working on paper for the artist, because the needle was easier to draw with than the bulkier burin, and the ground did not require as much force as the copper to scratch.
Drypoint is a cross between etching and engraving. Rembrandt became interested in the technique after he became an accomplished etcher and engraver. With drypoint, he used a needle to carve lines directly into the copper plate. This left raised, somewhat rough edges in the copper called “burr.” When printed, the burr created soft edges on the paper.
Source: “Rembrandt’s Journey: Painter, Draftsman, Etcher,” by Clifford S. Ackley.
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The Old Master had some bold new ideas
– Rembrandt always did things his own way: He left school to study as an artist’s apprentice while still in his teens; by age 22 he was a highly regarded art teacher. When he moved to Amsterdam in his mid-20s, his religious works were already in demand.
– Author and illustrator Mike Venezia describes Rembrandt as a “fun” guy because he liked to use costumes and exotic props. But his share of personal tragedy was enormous. Three of his children died as infants, while his wife Saskia died nine months after the birth of their only surviving child, a son named Titus.
– Rembrandt collected outrageous costumes, weapons and other oddities as well as antiques and the work of other famous artists. Despite his success, he spent more than he made and died in poverty.
– He liked to use real people in his works, such as the elderly, beggars and peddlers. Rembrandt also enjoyed putting dogs in his art, sometimes in surprising ways: In one biblical-themed painting, a dog is shown eating the remains of a sacrificed animal. He frequently used his family as models, and liked to place himself in his works, even putting his head on the body of a beggar.
– Rembrandt created dramatic biblical scenes, landscapes, portraits and loads of self-portraits, perhaps more than any other great artist. He drew himself frequently throughout his life, Venezia says, from a “feisty young guy” mugging with a kind of snarl on his face to a “tired older guy who has learned a lot.”
