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 All About Art
Rembrandt
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, who was born July 15, 1606, is one of the greatest painters in European art history. This year marks the 400th anniversary of his birth.
He was born in Leiden, in the Netherlands, to a large family.
 Rembrandt was alive during what is known as the Dutch Golden Age. He was an important painter during this time he produced around 600 paintings, 300 etchings, and 2,000 drawings. He was also fond of doing self-portraits and created almost a hundred of them, including some 20 etchings. During different periods in his life, Rembrandts works of art would change. They ranged in size from small to very large. The subject matter was often Biblical, but he also did landscapes, portraits, and mythological painting. His paintings used the technique of chiaroscuro, which uses bold contrasts between light and dark (highlight and shadow) to draw the viewer into the painting. In addition to painting, Rembrandt was also an accomplished print maker and did many etchings and drawings. 
Despite being very popular as an artist and making a good living with his talent, Rembrandt ended up in bankruptcy and could not afford his house. Many think that this happened because he lived beyond his means and he spent a great deal of money collecting art.
Sources: The Rembrandt House Museum, www.rembrandthuis.nl; Wikipedia, Rembrandt, www.Wikipedia.com.
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