1606 -1669 · Leiden and Amsterdam

Self-portrait, chiaroscuro and living matter make Rembrandt the deepest explorer of face and consciousness in the Golden Age.

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was born in Leiden in 1606 and died in Amsterdam in 1669. Trained with Jacob van Swanenburg then briefly with Pieter Lastman, he learned to concentrate the biblical or historical story in a gesture, a light and a human reaction. After his debut in Leiden with Jan Lievens, he moved to Amsterdam around 1631, became a sought-after portrait painter and directed an important workshop. This collection particularly highlights his art of the self-portrait. In Self-portrait with disheveled hair, the young painter experiments with expression, shadow and character. Self-portrait with beret and straight collar asserts a more constructed identity, while Self-portrait as an apostle Paul combines the aging face of the artist with the figure of the biblical witness. Rembrandt does not look for a flattering image: wrinkles, fatigue, light and costume allow us to question the passage of time and the roles we take on. Aristotle contemplating the bust of Homer broadens this reflection. The philosopher touches the blind poet while a chain offered by Alexander recalls prestige and power; light weighs the conflict between material glory and heritage intellectual. Rembrandt's career enjoyed success, bereavement, bankruptcy and relative isolation, but his research continued to deepen. Paintings, drawings and etchings transform matter into human experience, giving to each face the density of a life. The "Rembrandt" selection notably compares Aristotle contemplating the bust of Homer and Self-portrait with disheveled hair. His reading favors movement.

Rembrandt does not paint a face to fix it: he lets light, matter and time reveal what is changing about identity.