old masters
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, a Dutch Baroque painter and printmaker, was born on July 15, 1606, in Leiden, Netherlands, and died on October 4, 1669, in Amsterdam. He is celebrated as one of the greatest storytellers in art history, acclaimed for his adept portrayal of human emotions and dramatic narratives. Rembrandt's extensive oeuvre includes portraits, self-portraits, landscapes, genre scenes, allegorical, historical, and biblical themes, as well as animal studies. His artistry shined during the Dutch Golden Age, a period marked by cultural and scientific achievements in the Netherlands.
Rembrandt's education in art began around the age of 10 when he left the Latin School in Leiden to train as an artist. He apprenticed with artists like Jacob van Swanenburg and Pieter Lastman, mastering various aspects of painting. He opened his own studio in Leiden around 1624 or 1625, sharing it with his colleague Jan Lievens. By 1631, he had moved to Amsterdam, where he achieved significant success and trained many important Dutch painters.
Among Rembrandt's notable works are "The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp" (1632), "The Night Watch" (1642), and "The Syndics of the Amsterdam Drapers’ Guild" (1662). He was also renowned for his self-portraits, creating around 80 over his lifetime, more than any other artist until the 20th century. These self-portraits were not just artistic endeavors but also experiments with facial expressions and lighting effects. Additionally, Rembrandt was a master etcher, transforming etching from a reproductive technique into an art form.
Rembrandt's painting style is characterized by its dramatic use of light and shadow, known as chiaroscuro. His ability to depict materials realistically was unparalleled; his portrayal of metals and fabrics was so lifelike that they appeared to glow and be tangible. He was also known for his impasto technique, applying paint thickly to the canvas, adding a three-dimensional quality to his works.
Despite his artistic prowess, Rembrandt faced financial difficulties and personal tragedies throughout his life. He declared bankruptcy in 1656, a downfall attributed partly to his extensive collection of art objects and curiosities. His masterpieces, however, continued to garner appreciation and influence generations of artists that followed.
For collectors and experts in art and antiques, Rembrandt's works represent a pinnacle of artistic achievement in the Dutch Golden Age. His mastery in portraying the human condition and his innovative techniques in painting and etching make his works highly prized and influential in the art world.
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Richard Bloos was born in Brühl in 1878 and attended the Art Academy in Düsseldorf, where he studied under Peter Janssen, Willy Sparrow and Forberg. After a stay in Paris from 1906 to 1914, Bloos lived until his death in Düsseldorf in 1957. He participated in the exhibitions of the Münchner Sezession and the salon of the Société National des Beaux-Arts in Paris. The artist’s preferred motifs are lively figure scenes.
Martin Eder is a German artist.
From 1986 until 1992, he studied at the Augsburg University of Applied Sciences, and from 1993 until 1995 continued his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts Nuremberg, attending the University of Kassel in 1995 and 1996. From 1996 until 1999 he studied under Eberhard Bosslet at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts and was a master student under Professor Bosslet from 1991 until 2001. Eder lives and works in Berlin. He plays in his own experimental rock band under the name Richard Ruin et Les Demoniaques.
Hans Thoma was a German painter.
In spite of his studies under various masters, his art has little in common with modern ideas, and is formed partly by his early impressions of the simple idyllic life of his native district, partly by his sympathy with the early German masters, particularly with Albrecht Altdorfer and Lucas Cranach the Elder. In his love of the details of nature, in his precise drawing of outline, and in his predilection for local coloring, he has distinct affinities with the Pre-Raphaelites.
Friedensreich Regentag Dunkelbunt Hundertwasser was an Austrian visual artist and architect who also worked in the field of environmental protection.
Hundertwasser stood out as an opponent of "a straight line" and any standardization, expressing this concept in the field of building design. His best known work is the Hundertwasserhaus in Vienna, which has become a notable place of interest in the Austrian capital, characterised by imaginative vitality and uniqueness.
Gortzius Geldorp was a Flemish Renaissance painter who painted mainly portraits, including group portraits, and historical scenes. The painter Georg Geldorp was his son, who worked in England.
Jan Hermansz. van Bijlert, or Jan van Bijlert, or Giovanni Bilardo, is a Dutch painter of the Dutch Golden Age, considered one of the Caravaggio school in Utrecht. He spent about four years in Italy and was one of the founders of the Bentvueghels circle of northern artists in Rome, where he was nicknamed Aeneas. Van Beilert was one of the most famous artists of the city of Utrecht. He mainly painted religious and mythological scenes, genre scenes of public places and musical parties, but he was also a portraitist.
Jan Lievens was a Dutch painter, draughtsman, and engraver of the Golden Age and a member of the Guild of St. Luke in Antwerp.
It is known that while still very young, at the age of twelve, Lievens already created skillful paintings that amazed art lovers of Leiden. He was later friendly with Rembrandt, shared a studio with him, and painted in a similar style. Lievens was also a court painter in England and elsewhere.
Jan Leavens created genre scenes, landscapes, ceremonial portraits and sketches on various themes, as well as religious and allegorical images, which were already highly valued during his lifetime.
Barend Cornelis Koekkoek was a Dutch landscape artist and lithographer.
