From an early age and until he was an old man, the Dutch artist Rembrandt painted at least one hundred self portraits.  Rembrandt was very interested in depicting facial expression and learnt a lot from painting himself. In one painting The Prodigal Son he even depicted himself in a drunken state.  If the portraits were gathered together, in one amazing exhibition, we could see how he perfected his skills over the course of his life but also how he aged…

Below are a selection of Rembrandt’s self portraits.  They all capture moods and illustrate the genius of Rembrandt.  He used light and shade to give depth and to capture a moment in his life.  The paintings do not fully convey the skill of the artist.  This is best done by going to see one of the artists self portraits or commissioned portraits in the flesh.  Rembrandt (you’ll see this just by looking at the pictures) really could paint flesh – his own and other peoples.

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia