Rembrandt Here, Rembrandt There

Rembrandt van Rijn, also known as Rembrandt or Remmy as we prefer, was one of the first artists who went by their first name only.  And he is going head-to-head with a fine challenger this winter in LA – himself.  Both the Norton Simon and Getty Museum are presenting complementary (we like to think dueling) exhibitions featuring the work of the Dutch master painter and etcher.  Both shows further what we know about this artist, his work, and relationships with those close to him as well as his students.

The Norton Simon’s exhibition, The Familiar Face: Portrait Prints by Rembrandt, consists of 15 etchings by the master from the museum’s extensive collection of his work and shows the artist’s softer side.  As a majority of the portrait prints do not note the name and public role of the sitter much like commissioned works, it is thought that these etchings portray people close to the artist, whether friends, family, or contemporaries.  There are several self-portraits included as well and juxtapose a young, confident 30-year-old Rembrandt alongside his wife with a work made twelve years later of him in a shadowy interior.

The Getty Museum’s show, Drawings by Rembrandt and His Pupils: Telling the Difference, depicts the legend of Rembrandt through the artistic technique and style he taught his students.  It takes a trained eye to tell the two apart.  After all, it took decades of research to reveal and clarify the work of Rembrandt from the work of those who studied from him, such as Govert Flinck, Ferdinand Bol, Gerbrand van den Eeckhout, Carel Fabritius, and Nicolaes Maes, who often depicted the same models, objects, and places as Rembrandt.  To make matters more difficult, drawings typically were not signed by Rembrandt, unlike paintings and prints. Test your eyes to see if you can pick out the Rembrandts!

To Rembrandt at the Norton Simon or to Rembrandt at the Getty, that is the question.  Why not do both?

At the Getty Museum, Drawings by Rembrandt and His Pupils closes February 28, 2010.  Click here for more info.  At the Norton Simon, The Familiar Face: Portrait Prints by Rembrandt closes March 22, 2010.  Click here for more info.

Rembrandt van Rijn, Self-Portrait with Saskia, 1636
Dutch, 1606-1669
Etching, State I
plate: 4-1/8 x 3-11/16 in. (10.5 x 9.4 cm); sheet: 4-1/4 x 3-3/4 in. (10.8 x 9.5 cm)
Norton Simon Art Foundation
M.1977.32.027.G
© 2009 Norton Simon Art Foundation