http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=344716
Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn Dutch, about 1628 Oil on copper 8 3/4 x 6 3/4 in. 2013.60
Introduction
This is perhaps one of the most famous self-portraits of all time since it shows Rembrandt in a laughing pose that is also quite uncommon for an artist. The artist painted more than one hundred original self-portraits and the correct name for this work is; ‘A more cheerful pose’ and is in keeping with the more jovial style that he had adopted during this particular period. The portrait includes several trademark elements that we normally associate with Rembrandt, including the interplay between light and darkness, the sitting angles as well as the almost jester like aspects – these are manifested in the way the sitter looks at the viewer and his attire (Clifford et al. p 47).
Composition of the painting
The self-portrait is in oils on a copper base and comprises the usual hues that we associate with this particular artist. Although the background is dark and full of foreboding, the expression of the artist is a jovial and positive one. This relatively small portrait shows Rembrandt as a soldier with a relaxed expression and also engaging the viewer with a boisterous expression. There is a combination of a boisterous character and the brushwork is also very short, especially in the face. The background is neutral and this combines a sense of immediacy with spontaneity. It dates from around 1628 so we must assume that Rembrandt was about 25 years old when the portrait was painted (Gombrich, p 127). Rembrandt’s self-portraits form an important and crucial part of his oeuvre, with this painting being particularly significant. The artists do not attempt to embellish his features to make them more palatable, rather he provides an honest to goodness account of himself.
The painting demonstrates Rembrandt’s love and interest in human expression, and this made him use himself very often in his early career. His experience as a self-made artist in Leiden also allowed him to go along with certain pursuits such as these portrait paintings. The self-portrait is very sophisticated even though it was painted when Rembrandt was only about 21 years old. One of the more interesting aspects of this painting is the fact that it was painted on copper. Rembrandt painted just a small number of paintings in this manner, making it extremely rare. There is also a signature in the upper left hand corner of the painting where the letters RHL can be found (Harris p. 455). This monogram was only used for around two years by Rembrandt, so this makes it even more of a rare painting.
Scope:
Rembrandt offered several explanations on the nature of his art. When writing to his friend Huygens, Rembrandt stated that he wanted to achieve the greatest and most natural movement in art, this is perhaps exemplified in his portrait style. There are several aspects that must be considered here, although the main characteristics are those where the spiritual and earthly are combined. Although Rembrandt is credited with having produced over 100 portraits, a good number of these are copies produced by his students (Clark K, p 125).
Several connoisseurs have written that Rembrandt produced no less than 600 paintings as well as 400 etchings together with 2,000 drawings. However, recent scholarship has shown that the number of Rembrandt paintings that can be positively identified is around 300 making this portrait particularly important since it can be taken as being genuine since it is autographed (Gombrich p 77). Several characteristics of the painting such as the dark background and the colour composition also point to it being an authentic Rembrandt painting. The humorous image that forms the essence of this painting also has something to do with his character. In the beginnings of his artistic career, he was considered as one of the most successful portrait painters of all time, so this is reflected in the jovial portraits of his youth. This one is particularly interesting since it also shows him in military dress that was quite a rare occurrence (Harris, p. 455). Rembrandt’s portraits are excellent mediums where we can examine the artist in his moods and changes. They are our window on his world, nobody took the art of portrait painting to such heights as did Rembrandt. In this portrait we have what can only be termed as quite an uncertain young man, in the prime of his life, this is at great contrast with the somber portraits of his old age where the experience and tragedies of time are imprinted on his weather beaten face.
Portrait techniques
Rembrandt’s techniques that he used mostly in his portraits and self-portraits included angling the sitter’s face in a manner where the ridge of the nose forms a direct line of demarcation between those brightly lit and shadow laden areas. The face as portrayed by Rembrandt is usually partially eclipsed whilst the nose comes across as very bright and intrinsically obvious, here we have what can be described as riddles of halftones (Durham, p. 18). This technique makes the viewer far more susceptible to attention since the division between floods of light and the dull shades makes an even more striking contrast.
A more cheerful pose contains most of these characteristics. The subject (or sitter’s) face is angled in such a way that light falls upon it. There is also the aforementioned line of demarcation with a contrast between dark and light particularly prominent. The face is also partially eclipsed whilst the nose is very bright and obvious. The contrast between light and dark is also very present although the painting’s subject is generally a jovial one.
One can compare this self-portrait to a number of other Rembrandt works including ‘The Stoning of St Stephen’ where the artist himself is depicted as an innocent bystander in the crowd. The autobiographical nature of Rembrandt’s painting found solace in the Bible where the artist often placed himself in the context of certain stories (Durham, p. 22).
Rembrandt was also a proponent of the chiaroscuro method of painting where the interplay of light and shadows is used consistently for dramatic and theatrical effect. This technique was largely derived from the Italian artist Caravaggio, who also used the self-portrait technique in his own historical works such as the famous ‘Beheading of St John the Baptist’ that is currently in the magnificent St John’s Co-Cathedral on the Mediterranean island of Malta (Bull, p. 72). Rembrandt also presented his subjects in quite a lively manner; this was in stark contrast to his contemporaries who were usually rigid and very formal in depiction of personal and biblical subjects. Rembrandt was also extremely compassionate in his portrayals of other fellow men; this is an often overlooked characteristic of his painting and is very prominent in his self-portraits.
Comparisons with other self portraits
Rembrandt was the painter who transformed the self-portrait into a genre all its own, imbuing it with significance. Egon Schiele was just one of many artists who would follow Rembrandt's lead, using the self-portrait to analyze the psyche deeply when painting himself.
Schiele's self-portrait style includes a focus on sexuality, as his own parts stand out prominently (Gombrich, p. 77). Combining that with the body hair, and Schiele's self-portrait reflects the stylistic markers of Gustav Klimt and such other painters of the time as George Grosz. Schiele puts color to work effectively, with his red lips and nipples standing out prominently, and the scrotum and penis stand out in considerable relief. This stands in contrast with Rembrandt's much more modest style; the primary similarity comes from the psychological depth in the facial expressions (Gombrich, p 77).
Pablo Picasso's “The Three Musicians” provides another point of comparison with Rembrandt's methods of self-portraiture. Picasso's work appears in the Cubist style, with significant interaction between light and shadow. This same interaction appears in Rembrandt's self-portraits. Also, the autobiographical elements of “The Three Musicians” give it a commonality with Rembrandt's work (Gombrich, p. 219).
Conclusion – portrait painting at its finest.
Rembrandt’s painting, ‘A more cheerful pose’ is an excellent example from the artist’s earlier and more successful period. He can be seen in a jovial and boisterous manner dressed in the clothes of a soldier, this emphasizes his humanity and capacity to joke about himself. The techniques used in the painting include the chiaroscuro element that was an important part of Rembrandt’s makeup and that was inherited from Caravaggio (Bull, p. 17). It is a striking and very beautiful portrait that teaches us quite a lot about the artist’s character and life.
Works Cited:
Ackley, Clifford, et al., Rembrandt's Journey, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 2004. ISBN 0-87846-677-0
Adams, Laurie Schneider (1999). Art Across Time. Volume II. McGraw-Hill College, New York, NY.
Bull, Duncan, et al., Rembrandt-Caravaggio, Rijksmuseum, 2006.
Clark, Kenneth (1969). Civilisation: a personal view. New York: Harper & Row. ISBN 9780060108014.
Clark, Kenneth, An Introduction to Rembrandt, 1978, London, John Murray/Readers Union, 1978
Clough, Shepard B. (1975). European History in a World Perspective. D.C. Heath and Company, Los Lexington, MA.ISBN 0-669-85555-3.
Driessen, Christoph, Rembrandts vrouwen, Bert Bakker, Amsterdam, 2012. ISBN 9789035136908
Durham, John I. (2004). Biblical Rembrandt: Human Painter In A Landscape Of Faith. Mercer University Press. ISBN 0-86554-886-2.
Gombrich, E.H., The Story of Art, Phaidon, 1995. ISBN 0-7148-3355-X
Harris, James C. "Lucian Freud's Reflection (Self-Portrait)." JAMA Psychiatry70.5 (2013): 455-456.
Van Rijn, Rembrandt. Self-Portrait. Oil on copper, 1628. http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=344716
