Rembrandt Van Rijn's Paintings Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Rembrandt Van Rijns Paintings - Term Paper ExampleThe writing Rembrandt Van Rijns Paintings explores The Blinding of bulls eye and The Avenge of Samson by Rembrandt van Rijn. While there have been identified more than 400 original works by Rembrandt that have lived through centuries, no one doubts that in the past there existed many more which, unfortunately, have either been lost or destroyed. Today one may savor the beauty and emotional prescience of a variety of portraits created by Rembrandt back in the 17th century. However, what is even more appealing for a modern viewer is Rembrandts paintings commit to the scriptural themes and based on the events either from the Old or New Testament. It is hard to say why exactly, but the Biblical story of the Hebrew hero Samson, who was cognize to possess inordinate strength and was kind of Gods champion, was particularly interesting to Rembrandt. The art scholars attribute 5 original works by Rembrandt devoted to Samsons life events. The Blinding of Samson (1636) is probably the most famous of them. Interestingly, it has been found that one more painting that explored the Samson motif was created by Rembrandt almost immediately after The Blinding of Samson. The Avenge by Samson (1638) was completed two years later and was kept in a close collection of Rembrandts powerful patron Prince Frederick Hendrick of Orange during his lifetime. Allegedly, it was destroyed during the fire of 1712 or was stolen at the moment of panic in the burning house where it was kept. This paper seeks to explore the meaning., historical context and the form of The Blinding of Samson and, based on this research, hypothesize what the details of The Avenge of Samson might have been. It as well focuses on the place these artworks had/might have had in the career of their generator Rembrandt van Rijn. The Blinding of Samson Form, Meaning and Historical Context The Blinding of Samson was created back in 1636. At that time, artists typical ly used natural materials that they made themselves, most often oil. The Blinding of Samson is not an exception to that rule. It is written in oil on canvas and it is quite large (235x302 cm). While the painting is an example of the Baroque art and represents the Biblical episode, it is quite naturalistic. It can be attributed to the authors careful use of form. In particular, this artwork exemplifies the dark manner which was introduced by Rembrandts predecessor Caravaggio. In this painting, Rembrandt used luxuriant brushwork which combined with fecund color and masterful use of chiaroscuro (the technique of treatment of both light and shade). Specifically, his brushstrokes are, as usual, broad and thick. Also, it is these layers of glaze that evidently provide scenes with extra depth and as well gravity. Critics claim that these technique helped Rembrandt depict the mood as well as inner mental feeling of the figures since it accentuated their physical features along with expres sions on their faces (Encyclopedia of Art, visual-arts-cork.com). In intercourse to this, Armold Houbraken, a painter and a contemporary of Rembrandt who was familiar with the way the great Dutchman worked described that very often his artworks looked as though the paint has been smeared on with a bricklayers towel (van de Wetering 5). Yet, it is this working method that allows his paintings to create an extremely light