Rembrandt van Rijn
She is hypnotising, isn't she?
The year 2019 marks the 350th anniversary of Rembrandt van Rijn’s death. Special exhibitions and presentations will be held throughout the year all around the world. We will keep you posted about them. :) Meanwhile, I'd like to show you one of my favorite Rembrandts.
A woman is leaning on the half-open door, looking at the viewer. Her informal pose and a housecoat, glowing deep red in places and tied casually over the low-cut white undergarment, suggest a familiar relationship between painter and model. For this reason the woman was identified as Rembrandt's companion Hendrickje Stoffels. She was also a model for a couple of other artists’ paintings.
With this portrait, Rembrandt was inspired by Palma Vecchio’s portraits of courtesans. This is confirmed by scientific investigations showing that the movement of the right arm originally corresponded with the Venetian model, but was then increasingly modified. While the ring on Hendrickje’s chain gives her the status of a married woman, the courtesan’s pose reflects the extramarital relationship disapproved of by the church.
See you tomorrow!
P.S. Read about Rembrandt's saddest love story here.
Also today it's International Cat Day. We missed it in the app, I'm sorry. But, on this occasion in DailyArt Magazine, you will find the article about how cats rule the art history world...