The Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn created nearly one hundred self portraits during his 63 years of life. Roughly 40 of these self portraits were oil paintings. The rest were drawings and etchings. This was, and is, a fairly unusual number of self portraits for an artist without a smartphone. He might have made self portraits to practice rendering facial expressions, while he also carried out his own self expressions and examinations. He might have made self portraits because they were free, whereas models cost money. He could have also been making them as a kind of self promotion. A self portrait would allow him to advertise his skill, mark himself as memorable, and possibly even earn some cash for the sale.
Below you’ll see a couple of ink drawings and then a couple of related etchings, roughly mirror image from the ink sketches, as the plate he drew the final image onto would have then printed in reverse.
“Art should be like a holiday: something to give a man the opportunity to see things differently and to change his point of view.” – Paul Klee “I don’t think art is propaganda; it should be something that liberates the soul, provokes the imagination and encourages people to go further. It celebrates humanity instead of …
Happy Thanksgiving Americans! Here is a selection of my favorite artworks from the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s online collection. And, if you find yourself in the mood for a song or two, here’s a collection of Thanksgiving songs from Smithsonian Folkways. Depending on your taste, you may happily skip the first song and start with …
The first annual Seattle Artist League Portrait Contest encourages artists to focus on and develop the theme of portraiture in their work. The competition is open to everyone aged sixteen and over, in recognition of the outstanding and innovative work in drawing, painting, printmaking, and mixed media. 1st Prize: $1,000 cash2nd Prize: $500 SAL Gift Certificate3rd Prize: $300.00 SAL …
Gallery hours: Monday through Thursday, 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM Evening hours: Tuesday and Wednesday from 5-7 PM Admission is free. The M. Rosetta Hunter Art Gallery is located at the north end of Seattle Central’s Atrium Cafeteria in the main campus building at the corner of Broadway and Pine. The art …
Rembrandt’s Self Portrait Drawings
The Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn created nearly one hundred self portraits during his 63 years of life. Roughly 40 of these self portraits were oil paintings. The rest were drawings and etchings. This was, and is, a fairly unusual number of self portraits for an artist without a smartphone. He might have made self portraits to practice rendering facial expressions, while he also carried out his own self expressions and examinations. He might have made self portraits because they were free, whereas models cost money. He could have also been making them as a kind of self promotion. A self portrait would allow him to advertise his skill, mark himself as memorable, and possibly even earn some cash for the sale.
Below you’ll see a couple of ink drawings and then a couple of related etchings, roughly mirror image from the ink sketches, as the plate he drew the final image onto would have then printed in reverse.
Sketch vs Etching
Sketches – just a few
Etchings
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“Art should be like a holiday: something to give a man the opportunity to see things differently and to change his point of view.” – Paul Klee “I don’t think art is propaganda; it should be something that liberates the soul, provokes the imagination and encourages people to go further. It celebrates humanity instead of …
A Selection of American Thanksgiving Art, from the Smithsonian Collection
Happy Thanksgiving Americans! Here is a selection of my favorite artworks from the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s online collection. And, if you find yourself in the mood for a song or two, here’s a collection of Thanksgiving songs from Smithsonian Folkways. Depending on your taste, you may happily skip the first song and start with …
Portrait Contest
The first annual Seattle Artist League Portrait Contest encourages artists to focus on and develop the theme of portraiture in their work. The competition is open to everyone aged sixteen and over, in recognition of the outstanding and innovative work in drawing, painting, printmaking, and mixed media. 1st Prize: $1,000 cash2nd Prize: $500 SAL Gift Certificate3rd Prize: $300.00 SAL …
Orchids and Evergreens: Thai and Seattle Printmakers
Gallery hours: Monday through Thursday, 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM Evening hours: Tuesday and Wednesday from 5-7 PM Admission is free. The M. Rosetta Hunter Art Gallery is located at the north end of Seattle Central’s Atrium Cafeteria in the main campus building at the corner of Broadway and Pine. The art …