The Museum of Fine Art's exhibit, "Rembrandt the Etcher," displays the intricate prints of 17th century Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn. Rembrandt is known for personally revolutionizing the art of etching with his development of different techniques and styles, allowing him to elegantly depict even the tiniest of details.
The practice of etching - the process in which image is created by pouring acid over a metal plate and then covering the plate in ink to be pressed onto paper - began in the early 16th century in Germany and Italy, but it wasn't until after 1630 when Rembrandt took up the craft that it became a more esteemed artistic medium. The MFA describes his contributions to printmaking as "defin[ing] the technique's full creative potential."
From his simpler portraits of peasants to his incredibly meticulous renderings of biblical scenes, Rembrandt never fails to deliver a profound and impressive image. Some of his etchings are so ornate they almost seem like actual paintings - a testament to Rembrandt's talent.
Over the course of his 31-year relationship with etching, Rembrandt produced nearly 300 works which covered a wide range of subject matter and varying levels of complexity. The exhibit displays 45 of those prints, most of which are from the MFA's personal collection.
Rembrandt experimented with three similar types of printmaking: etching, drypoint and engraving. Different combinations of these forms can be seen throughout the prints in the exhibit, and these various techniques allowed him to depict incredibly elaborate prints, as well as very simple ones.
Rembrandt also experimented with light and shade, creating varying degrees of darkness through the density of his lines. The closer the lines were to each other, the deeper the darkness would be. This process is evident in his spectacular "Saint Jerome in a Dark Chamber" (1642), which relies on a combination of his three printmaking techniques. In the print, Saint Jerome is seen working in his study - a pose likely inspired by an earlier work by another artist, which depicted the saint in a bright, sunny room. In contrast, Rembrandt renders the saint in near darkness, so that the viewer must strain to find his form through the shadows. The one source of light is a window high above, which sends out faint rays into the darkness. The etching itself, upon very close inspection, is a dense web of layered lines, which helps to produce the deep darkness surrounding the saint.
Rembrandt's work with lighting is also apparent in "Jan Cornelis Sylvius" (1646), a portrait of the eponymous preacher. Sylvius appears to be leaning out of his portrait's frame, gesturing to the viewer and inviting them to fully engage with him. The portrait gives a stone-like quality to the frame and plays with the lighting, with Sylvius' face illuminated through the darker adjacent tones that surround it.
In "Male Nudes Seated and Standing (The Walker)" (1646), Rembrandt uses etching to obtain clean lines and defined cross-hatchings to create depth. The original copper plate is displayed next to the print - a mirror image of the piece, which allows the viewer to see the delicate and complex web of lines that the artist painstakingly etched into the metal.
In his over three decades of working with etching, Rembrandt covered a wide array of subject matter. He worked with portraits, such as "The Great Jewish Bride" (1635), likely inspired by his wife, Saskia, and his "Self-Portrait Leaning on a Stone Sill" (1639), in which he gazes daringly out at the viewer, dressed in elegant Renaissance-esque garb. Rembrandt also created biblical scenes such as his "The Three Crosses" (1653) and "Christ Crucified Between Two Thieves" (1660), both of which depict Christ being crucified. These last two are especially notable in the collection, because they highlight Rembrandt's practice of revising his earlier works. His initial version of the print focuses more on the individual, drawing Christ into the light, while the later versions experiment more with the overall use of light and darkness.
The exhibit covers Rembrandt's most basic prints to his most complex, playing with different techniques in order to produce a wide array of results. Despite their diversity, each print reflects the impressive revolution that Rembrandt brought to the printmaking medium.
"Rembrandt the Etcher" will run in the MFA through Feb. 17. For more information call (617) 267-9300.
