Blog Archives
“I’m no Picasso, but…do you like it?”
I absolutely adore this part of the film. Everyone looks as though they had a blast doing this.
“All Hallows” by Walter de la Mare
(Edited for rewriting and removal of links)
While I listened to a reading courtesy of BBC iPlayer, I wondered if Walter de la Mare referenced any real life cathedral for this story. Then I heard this:
“He resembled one of those old men whom Rembrandt delighted in drawing. The knotted hands, the black drooping eyebrows, the thin-lipped ecclesiastical mouth.”
The Man Who Was Thursday Part Two-Artistic Light Tricks
Warning: Racial insensitivity ahead in quoted passage.
“The inside of the wood was full of shattered sunlight and shaken shadows. They made a sort of shuddering veil, almost recalling the dizziness of a cinematograph. Even the solid figures walking with him Syme could hardly see for the patterns of sun and shade that danced upon them. Now a man’s head was lit as with a light of Rembrandt, leaving all else obliterated; now again he had strong and staring white hands with the face of a negro.”
Rembrandt, Abeles, and ah, Venice
Went back into the Columbia Museum of Art last week. They had a Rembrandt exhibition.
Amateur Art History Reports: The Mint Museum of Art
I have spent an internship there putting together games for kids in the Education department back in 2004. The last time I visited there? 2007 (I think). It has changed a lot since I last visited there.
Art Historians…Rembrandt’s Etching Technique: An Example by Peter Morse
The Fall of Man
Available on Kindle, this tiny read goes through Rembrandt’s prints and explains how the artist created them. He also gives a lot of historical context behind Rembrandt’s etchings. However, if you have no interest in etching techniques, I suggest not reading this. Peter Morse leaves no detail behind. Plus, his writing can veer on the dry side.
The Little Children Being Brought to Jesus AKA The 100 Guilder Print
Old Art History Books/Artists as Writers: Duelling Biographies…Rembrandt
Multiple books, multiple authors, each writing about the same subject. The subject? Rembrandt. Both books center around four paintings the artist did during his lifetime. I will show you these paintings to act as a visual aid.
Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp
The Private Diary of Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn 1661
The Private Diary’s Amazon link
Alan Passes wrote the text while Oscar Grillo created the illustrations. Here, they created a fictional diary that Rembrandt wrote during the last years of his life. In this book, “Rembrandt” writes about Holland, family, love of material goods, and his grieving of Saskia, his first wife. Another plot point that ties this whole book together is a male angel that visits Rembrandt occasionally. Next to the Nightwatching movie, this is the second story that showed Rembrandt seeing otherworldly people. All in all, this fictional diary reminds me of Leonardo da Vinci’s Notebooks with their text and illustrations. Is the book good? Well, it follows Rembrandt’s life accurately and the back of the book gives a timeline. The writing creates a fun atmosphere, and it does resemble a diary with its mood changes and use of shorthand. However, the writing from time to time will remind the reader that Passes wrote this and not Rembrandt. ETA: (I don’t know why I wrote this sentence because I have never read any available writings by the artist. I think I meant that it felt too modern.) The same problem occurs with the illustrations. Oskar Grillo wants the viewer to resemble Rembrandt with his sketches, but their wildly different styles can take the viewer out of this mood. On the other hand, some of Grillo’s illustrations were really good. The simple illustrations add a nice sentimental touch to the book. Furthermore, he does like to draw Rembrandt with a big nose. Now, the portrait does show that Rembrandt did have one, but Grillo makes it so obvious, it becomes a supporting character.
All in all, this book is a cute, inoffensive read.
