The Mentor Rembrandt 2

The Mentor Rembrandt 2

The artist’s life was changed after the death of his wife. No longer

does he appear to have been the buoyant, carefree painter and art

lover. There is a pathetic sadness in many of his works done at this

time. This is well illustrated in his pictures of the Holy Family, a

subject which was a favorite with him during this period of his life.

 

One reason for Rembrandt’s unhappiness was his waning popularity. The

“Night Watch,” which was painted to order as a collection of portraits

in one composition, did not prove satisfactory to his customers.

Some of them complained of being put in the background and obscured.

Naturally, the artist could not give places of prominence to every

person in the picture. Not understanding this, however, these people

took offence at his disposition of the characters, and transferred

their patronage elsewhere.

 

It was at this time that Rembrandt did a great deal of landscape

painting, and genius that he was, he made a success of it. It is to

this period that the famous painting, “The Mill,” is ascribed.

 

But though he was still the great artist, a cloud of adversity was

slowly coming over Rembrandt’s life. Evil days were at hand.

 

PREPARED BY THE EDITORIAL STAFF OF THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION

ILLUSTRATION FOR THE MENTOR, VOL. 4, No. 20, SERIAL No. 120

COPYRIGHT, 1916, BY THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION, INC.

 

 

 

 

[Illustration: IN THE WIDENER COLLECTION, PHILADELPHIA

 

THE MILL, BY REMBRANDT]

 

 

 

 

_REMBRANDT_

 

_Last Years_

 

THREE

 

 

During the last part of the seventeenth century money was scarce in

Holland. Long continued wars and civil troubles had worn out the

country. Financial depression overwhelmed Amsterdam; and in addition

to this the taste in art changed, and Rembrandt and his pictures were

neglected.

 

Most of Rembrandt’s money was tied up in his house and in his large

collection of valuable pictures; and when his paintings ceased to be

in demand, he was forced to borrow money. Very little is known of the

artist’s life at this time. He was living with his servant, Hendrickje

Stoffels, and in 1654 a child was born to them. To her Rembrandt gave

the name of Cornelia, after his much loved mother. It has been asserted

that he married Hendrickje, but it is probable that he did not, for in

such a case the money left by Saskia would have gone at once to her son

Titus, according to the will.

 

In 1656 Rembrandt’s financial affairs went crashing down to ruin. By

a process of law his house and land were transferred to Titus. But as

his son was still a minor, Rembrandt was allowed to remain in charge of

Saskia’s estate. And then ruin stared him in the face. In July, 1656,

Rembrandt was declared bankrupt, and an inventory of his property was

ordered. Two years later the larger part of his collection of etchings

and drawings was sold. The sum realized was only a small fraction of

their value.

 

Rembrandt, driven from his house, stripped of everything he possessed,

without friends or money, took a modest lodging in Amsterdam. The city

which once had acclaimed him as its greatest portrait painter now

passed him by and left him alone to wait for death.

 

During all these dark years, however, Rembrandt was painting some of

his greatest pictures. Even amid the ruins of his affairs he could go

calmly on working; and for this he deserves the highest respect. Among

the works of this time are the portrait of Jan Six, the “Adoration of

the Magi,” and “John the Baptist Preaching in the Wilderness.” At the

same time he continued to paint his own portrait; but in these pictures

of the artist in his old age we see a man broken by misfortune.

 

Titus, Rembrandt’s only son, had married. He died in 1668, leaving

one child. A year later, on October 8, 1669, Rembrandt himself passed

away. In the “Livre Mortuaire” of the Wester Kerk in Amsterdam appears

the following simple entry, relating to his death: “Tuesday, 8th Oct.,

1669, Rembrandt van Rijn, Painter on the Rovzegraft, opposite the

Doolhof. Leaves two children.”

 

Rembrandt outlived his popularity, although he was the greatest genius

of his time and country, and in fact one of the great geniuses of all

time and all countries. He was left to die alone and neglected by his

fellow-countrymen, who had they foreseen the fame that the future held

in store for him, might have sought his humble lodging to honor him on

bended knee.

 

PREPARED BY THE EDITORIAL STAFF OF THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION

ILLUSTRATION FOR THE MENTOR, VOL. 4, No. 20, SERIAL No. 120

COPYRIGHT, 1916, BY THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION, INC.

 

 

 

 

[Illustration: IN THE RYKS MUSEUM, AMSTERDAM

 

ELIZABETH BAS--PORTRAIT BY REMBRANDT]

 

 

 

 

_REMBRANDT_

 

_The Real Man_

 

FOUR

 

 

One day Rembrandt was employed in painting the portraits of a very

rich family in Amsterdam. This was to be a group picture, and as usual

with him, Rembrandt was working hard to make it a success. While he

was painting, someone opened the door of the room in which he was and

brought in the dead body of a monkey. The appearance of this funny

little creature appealed to the artist at once. He wanted to make a

picture of it right away. But the only thing on which he could make the

drawing was the canvas on which he was painting the portraits of the

rich family. So Rembrandt, without hesitation, painted the monkey in

among their portraits. They were very angry, of course, but in those

days Rembrandt was at the height of his career and he did not have to

concern himself about how his customers felt.

 

This little incident, whether it is strictly true or not, illustrates

one side of Rembrandt’s character. When he was most successful he

was carefree and independent. It may have been this independence

that brought him to his ruin--although in all probability it was the

indifference of his fellow citizens to his work.

 

The age in which Rembrandt lived cared little for personalities.

There were no newspapers to record his doings, and no one of his

contemporaries cared enough about it to write down much about his life

and work. For these reasons, the world has never known much about

Rembrandt, the man. We know that he was light-hearted, headstrong and

extravagant. We know that he was neglected and died poor and feeble.

But we know little more than this, although of late more reliable

information concerning the life of this great painter has been found.

 

A man’s faults are usually remembered when his virtues are

forgotten. For years it pleased biographers to represent Rembrandt

as a ne’er-do-well artist, who could not take advantage of his

opportunities. We know now, however, that his faults were very human

ones, and that his merits greatly overbalanced them.

 

As a boy the artist was not an industrious scholar. He looked upon

reading and writing as rather troublesome and hardly worth the labor

involved in learning them. Later he worked hard at his chosen career,

and the great number of pictures that he painted is sufficient evidence

that he was by no means lazy.

 

Probably Rembrandt’s greatest fault was his extravagance. Many a man

can endure adversity with courage; success is sometimes more difficult

to bear. Hard luck often brings out the best in a man; success may

destroy it. Rembrandt was no exception. He spent his money freely, and

like the grasshopper of the fable, sang happily through the summer,

with no thought of the cold to come.

 

He liked to attend sales of works of art, and he gladly paid huge sums

for any pictures that caught his fancy. It is said that the dealers

came very soon to know his rash and reckless methods and would push the

prices far up, confident that Rembrandt would meet them. At the same

time, the artist liked to buy expensive jewels for his wife. He loved

Saskia devotedly, and he wanted her to have everything of the finest.

This manner of open-handed living naturally played havoc with his

finances.

 

When Saskia died Rembrandt was heartbroken. His customers fell off

and many troubles overwhelmed him. His friends helped him as much as

possible, but money ran through his hands like water through a sieve,

and he could not seem to control his expenditures. Then later the death

of his faithful Hendrickje was the last blow to his happiness. For a

few years Rembrandt lingered, and then he too passed into the great

silence.

 

It is true that many of Rembrandt’s troubles were self-inflicted: but

he suffered enough to pay for his faults. At any rate it is better to

remember him as a great genius and a man worthy of respect and honor.

 

PREPARED BY THE EDITORIAL STAFF OF THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION

ILLUSTRATION FOR THE MENTOR, VOL. 4, No. 20, SERIAL No. 120

COPYRIGHT, 1916, BY THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION, INC.

 

 

 

 

[Illustration: IN THE DRESDEN GALLERY

 

SASKIA HOLDING A FLOWER--PORTRAIT BY REMBRANDT]

 

 

 

 

_REMBRANDT_

 

_Saskia van Ulenburg_