Rembrandt

This book by Magdalene Winsten contains 300 high-quality annotated reproductions of Rembrandt's paintings, drawings and etchings. Rembrandt van Rijn is the most important painter in Dutch history. His contributions to art came in a period of great wealth and cultural achievement that historians call the Dutch Golden Age. Rembrandt's greatest creative triumphs are exemplified especially in his portraits of his contemporaries, self-portraits and illustrations of scenes from the Bible. Among the more prominent characteristics of Rembrandt's work are his use of chiaroscuro, the theatrical employment of light and shadow derived from Caravaggio. In his paintings and prints he exhibited knowledge of classical iconography, his assimilation of classical composition, and his observations of Amsterdam's Jewish population. Because of his empathy for the human condition, he has been called "one of the great prophets of civilization."