Rembrandt

Rembrandt van Rijn is commonly regarded as one of the greatest painters and etchers in European art and the most important in Dutch art history. His career came in a time of enormous wealth and cultural triumph that historians call the Dutch Golden Age.

Having accomplished success as a portrait painter in his youth years, Rembrandt's later were suffered by personal tragedy and financial hardships. Among the more famous characteristics of Rembrandt's work are his use of chiaroscuro, the theatrical employment of light and shadow derived from Caravaggio, but adapted for very personal means. His wife Saskia, his son Titus and his common-law wife Hendrickje often figured significantly in his paintings, many of which had mythical, biblical or historical themes.

In his paintings and prints he exhibited knowledge of classical iconography, which he molded to fit the requirements of his own experience. Because of his understanding for the human being, he has been called "one of the great prophets of civilization."