Rembrandt's Etchings: A Quadricentennial Celebration
Friday, August 4, 2006 - Sunday, December 10, 2006
The Blanton Museum of Art at The University of Texas at Austin joins other institutions around the world in commemorating the 400th anniversary of Rembrandt’s birth, with a special exhibition of his etchings. Rembrandt’s Etchingswill feature 23 examples of Rembrandt’s work from the museum’s collection. The exhibition will also feature 22 works by peers and later admirers of Rembrandt, illustrating his long-lasting impact on printmaking.
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (July 15, 1606-October 4, 1669) is considered one of the greatest painters of all time. He has also been called “the greatest master of etching,” and it is his experimentation and technical superiority with this medium that has given him this name. Although the number continues to be refined by art historians, the artist produced some 400 paintings, 300 etchings, and 2,000 drawings. The exhibition will feature 23 etchings by Rembrandt and 22 by his contemporaries or later artists whom he inspired.
Rembrandt’s Etchings will be presented in the Blanton’s Prints and Drawings Galleries on the second floor of the museum. Chief among the prints on view are the artist’s Self-Portrait Wearing a Soft Cap (c. 1634), The Goldsmith (1655), andChrist Preaching (c. 1652). Also included will be a selection of prints inspired by Rembrandt, including works by contemporaries, such as Ferdinand Bol and Adrien van Ostade, that help put the artist’s work in the context of 17th-century printmaking. Rembrandt’s influence on subsequent generations will be illustrated by some extraordinary examples of the etching revival, a movement that began in the mid-19th century, with works by James Abbott McNeill Whistler and Francis Seymour Hayden.
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (July 15, 1606-October 4, 1669) is considered one of the greatest painters of all time. He has also been called “the greatest master of etching,” and it is his experimentation and technical superiority with this medium that has given him this name. Although the number continues to be refined by art historians, the artist produced some 400 paintings, 300 etchings, and 2,000 drawings. The exhibition will feature 23 etchings by Rembrandt and 22 by his contemporaries or later artists whom he inspired.
Rembrandt’s Etchings will be presented in the Blanton’s Prints and Drawings Galleries on the second floor of the museum. Chief among the prints on view are the artist’s Self-Portrait Wearing a Soft Cap (c. 1634), The Goldsmith (1655), andChrist Preaching (c. 1652). Also included will be a selection of prints inspired by Rembrandt, including works by contemporaries, such as Ferdinand Bol and Adrien van Ostade, that help put the artist’s work in the context of 17th-century printmaking. Rembrandt’s influence on subsequent generations will be illustrated by some extraordinary examples of the etching revival, a movement that began in the mid-19th century, with works by James Abbott McNeill Whistler and Francis Seymour Hayden.