The Jewish Bride by Rembrandt (Interpretation and Analysis)

-
The Jewish Bride
Source: Wikimedia Commons


Today, I want to continue the discussion of Dutch Golden Age art that I started yesterday with an artist that nearly everyone has heard of: Rembrandt van Rijn. Though his name has become synonymous with art, many people are not very familiar with his actual work.

To my mind, his work can be best characterized as Baroque. It is dark (in terms of color) and is characterized by a certain eccentric, brushy style that is particular to Rembrandt. His paintings are energetic and expressive, undoubtably the qualities that originally made them precious to collectors of art. Rembrandt is known for his portraits and self portrait; however, one of his most famous portraits is also his most enigmatic.

For decades, art historians have debated the subject of The Jewish Bride. According to my research, the painting obtained its title in the nineteenth century when a collector described it as a Jewish father embracing his daughter on her wedding day. Although the title stuck (it’s important to remember that artists giving paintings titles is a fairly new development in the history of art), there appears to be no real reason to assume that this is the subject. Other scholars have theorized that the painting depicts Rembrandt’s son Titus and his wife or a biblical couple such as Isaac and Rebecca.

From a stylistic perspective, The Jewish Bride is painted in a loose, brushy style. The paint is applied thickly to the canvas, giving the painting a tactical and emotive aura. This approach gives the painting a raw and authentic mien that contributes to the appeal of the piece.

No matter the subject, the piece obviously captures a moment of love between two people with incredible tenderness and emotion. Over the centuries, it has become famous for the depth of feeling it conveys. Famously, upon seeing the painting, the artist Vincent van Gogh wrote, "I should be happy to give 10 years of my life if I could go on sitting here in front of this picture fortnight, with only a crust of dry bread for food...What an intimate, what an infinitely sympathetic picture it is."

Given this reaction, it is little wonder that The Jewish Bride has become one of the most famous love paintings in the world, second only to Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss. It is a testament to Rembrandt’s ability to convey emotion and psychological reality, the qualities that have allowed Rembrandt’s work to stand the test of time.

Disclaimer: I’m not an art historian or an expert on this topic. The above is my opinion, based on my interpretation of my foreknowledge of art and history. If I’ve done any additional research, I’ll note it above.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Le Chat Aux Poissons Rouges by Henri Matisse (Interpretation and Analysis)

-
Image
Le Chat Aux Poissons Rouges Source: Pinterest French artist Henri Matisse is rather famous for his paintings of goldfish. In fact, one of his most famous paintings, entitled Goldfish , depicts several of the aforementioned fish swimming in a bowl. Matisse is one of the most famous artists of the twentieth century. His work is closely associated with the Fauvist movement and is generally characterized by great energy and rich, intense colors. Based on my research , Matisse began painting goldfish after he traveled to North Africa. In Morocco, Matisse observed locals watching goldfish swim in their bowls as they sunk into a meditative state. The fish subsequently became a symbol for this sense of tranquility, coming to represent an idyllic version of the world only accessible through joyous day-dreams. These calming fish are prominent in this painting, which is entitled Le Chat Aux Poissons Rouges (which translates to The Cat With Red Fishes ). However, the serene energy of the f...
Read more

Mural La Plena by Rafael Tufiño (Interpretation and Analysis)

-
Image
Mural la Plena Source: Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico Today I want to chat about a monumental piece of art that I recently had the pleasure of seeing at the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico. As the name suggests, Mural La Plena is a massive mural, fifteen by thirty feet in size, that was created by Puerto Rican artist Rafael Tufiño to commemorate la plena, a wildly popular genre of music that was born in the city of Ponce around 1900. The mural, which might appear abstract or incomprehensible to a viewer unfamiliar with the subject matter, illustrates the lyrics of popular plena songs. For example, the blue-green figure that dominates the upper half of the mural represents the hurricane from the plena “Temporal,” which mourns the destruction caused by a storm. Plena, as a genre, tells stories. According to my research , the lyrics come from current events, re-telling the stories that affected the lives of the people of Ponce. It began as a way for people of low socio-economic sta...
Read more

Five Puerto Rican Artists You Should Know

-
Image
The island of Puerto Rico has a long and vibrant artistic tradition. Western, Indigenous, and African cultures have all left their mark on Puerto Rican art, creating a colorful and unique visual legacy. While Puerto Rican artists have demonstrated their excellence throughout the years— from the creators of the captivating Taino petroglyphs to the sophisticated and subtle works of the Modernist painters—Puerto Rican art has received little attention from art historians and the wider art world. Here are five underappreciated Puerto Rican artists that you should know: 1. José Campeche José Campeche is often known as the first Puerto Rican painter in the Western history of fine arts. He was primarily known for his religious paintings and his portraits of elite Puerto Ricans, and today his work is recognized as some of the finest examples of Rococo art produced in the Americas. Campeche’s personal story is also inspiring. The son of a slave who had purchased his own freedom, Campech...
Read more