Rembrandt's late work

Group portraits were a frequent theme in 17th century Dutch painting. "The Sampling Officials" (1662) is different. Rembrandt manages to portray the guild members as individuals, and draws the viewer into the room and its scene. The painting seems to capture a very fleeting moment.

Rembrandt was in demand in the Netherlands as a painter during his lifetime, but 1642 brought a break in his life and work. The death of his wife, Saskia, and a financial crisis caused a shock. His later style, which begins ca. 1651, differs in that the brush strokes become wider, while the figures on the canvas seem to be more inwardly withdrawn. The scenes and settings grow more intimate.

Rembrandt grew very close to his models - even in commissioned pieces, such as "The Jewish Bride" or "Family Portrait," both created in 1665 and likely portraying the same people. The intimate way in which the husband is depicted embracing his wife suggests trust toward the painter. Rembrandt had a keen eye for detail in his work.

Experiments like this can only be found in the paintings, prints and etchings in Rembrandt's late period, after his 46th birthday. Here he used a pallet knife to scrape color away or add structure to impasto layers of color. In "Family Portrait" (1665, shown), these technical tricks can be seen. They pointed the way toward more modern approaches to the form.

In "Titus at His Desk" (1665), scholars believe Rembrandt painted his own son. Again the painter captured a moment that seems fleeting: the daydreaming Titus who glances up briefly from his desk. Here, too, Rembrandt seems very close to his model, showing him in a tender way.

Rembrandt's friend Jan Six stares directly and bluntly at the viewer in this painting from 1654. He seems to be putting on his gloves at an instant when the painter puts the scene on canvas. Interestingly, Rembrandt renders the face with a clear love of detail, while the jacket and gloves look somewhat unfinished. It invites the observer to imagine the finished painting.

Rembrandt's genius wasn't limited to painting. He tried out other techniques in his late period, including etching with a needle on copper plate. Instead of wiping away the color in the spots without any indentations, he smeared it. That created dramatic results as in the etching "The Three Crosses" from 1653.

Conventions, including the point in time that best illustrates a given story, dominated the art world in Rembrandt's age. But he didn't always adhere to conventional narratives, as in "Jacob Blessing the Sons of Joseph" (1656). It shows Jacob blessing his youngest, rather than his oldest grandson. In the painting, father Joseph - in contrast to other artists' interpretations - appears pleased.