Compasrison Essay on Rembrandt Self-Portrait and Nicolaes Ruts
Uploaded by baadasskid69 on Oct 27, 2011
This essay compares Rembrandt’s Self-Portrait with his portrait of Nicolaes Ruts.
I Introduction
Rembrandt’s work is fascinating not only for its technical excellence and astonishing power, but for the way in which we can trace changes in the artist’s style over the years.
This paper considers two of his works, a self-portrait and a formal commissioned portrait, and compares them
II Self-Portrait
The subject of the self-portrait is of course Rembrandt himself. He painted it when he was 52, but he seems older. His treatment of himself is unflattering, and he has chosen to accentuate deep creases in his skin, particularly above his cheekbone, on his cheek, and near his mouth. They almost look like scars rather than the natural wrinkling of aging skin, because they are in an odd location. In addition, the crease running from the corner of his nose to the corner of his mouth is deep and pronounced. It’s as if he’s painted himself as he sees himself in 10-15 years, not as he is at present. This is a very old 52.
His pose is natural: he is turned very slightly to the left, but faces the viewer straight on, gazing into our eyes. It’s impossible to tell whether he’s standing or seated; the position of his right arm seems to indicate that he’s resting it on the arm of a chair, but his legs are not bent. Perhaps he’s leaning against a support. At any rate, the fingers of his right hand are slightly flexed. He’s not holding anything, but neither is he completely relaxed. He holds some sort of thin rod or staff in his left hand, but the grip is casual; he’s not gripping it tightly. That is the only “prop” in the painting.
Although Rembrandt was poor, he has depicted himself dressed in sumptuous fabrics. He has a dark cloak over his shoulders, and his gown or robe is a rich golden color, tied with deep scarlet bands. The rod in his right hand seems almost like a royal scepter, and his apparel suggests that he is a wealthy nobleman. Perhaps he was painting himself as he wished to appear, not as he was.
His facial expression is difficult to describe, but it projects an overwhelming feeling of world-weariness and cynicism. His mouth is compressed into a thin, straight line, but there...