Rembrandts Painting An Old Man in Military Costume Essay example -- P

Rembrandts Painting An Old Man in armed forces bard With an extraordinary intensity, Rembrandt van Rijns An Old Man in Military Costume is an example of the artists use of dynamic lighting. The painting, on display at the Getty Museum, contains a single figure, an old man svelte in a military uniform. While one may lever the beauty of the work, to fully experience the passion and genius of the artist, it is necessary to play the painting in person. The delicate details that may be befuddled by a digital image are easily caught by the human eye. The proper way to view a Rembrandt is in the cast the difference is amazing. Born in Leiden, Netherlands, Rembrandt was the son of a miller and a bakers daughter. Unsatisfied with life at the University of Leiden, Rembrandt left cultivate to pursue painting. He studied under Pieter Lastman who introduced the young painter to the work of Italian masters, particularly Caravaggio. Even though Rembrandt n ever traveled to Italy, his whole kit bear the stamp of Italian influence, especially in his preference for prominent lighting over Dutch smoothness. Moving to Amsterdam in 1631, Rembrandt began running(a) for commission and became very successful. He painted An Old Man in Military Costume in 1631, during a time when his work was characterized by strong lighting effects. Neither a religious work nor a commissioned portrait, this work is more than likely one that Rembrandt painted for himself. An foreign painting, An Old Man in Military Costume is a solitudinarian figure against a blank background. The figure, an old man, is dressed in a somber military outfit a simple costume without both frills or finery. The only decoration is a... ... I was also impressed with the approximation that Rembrandt touched the same canvas that I was viewing almost quaternary hundred years ago. The painting serves as a direct connector into the past a past that is remarkable f or all it accomplished. A extraordinary artistic example of light contrasting with dark, Old Man in a Military Costume is a remembrance of how closely connected we are with the past. When artists or historical figures are merely memorized names, they lose both(prenominal) of their impact experiencing part of their lives reminds viewers of their humanity. Rembrandts painting has many visual layers while containing political and historical significance as well.Work CitedElizabeth I. To the slope Troops at Tilbury, Facing the Spanish Armada. The Longman Anthology of British Literature. Vol 1B. Ed. David Damrosch. New York Longman, 2003.