Northern Europe
exploring REMBRANDT’S AMSTERDAM
PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST in Amsterdam
An energetic and curious young man, Rembrandt left his bucolic hometown of Leiden in the final days of 1631 with his sights set on Amsterdam. Here, he began to practice as a professional portraitist, tutor art students, and amass an impressive outside art collection. It was also where he fell in love and married Saskia van Uylenburgh. They married in the city and bought a house in the artist- centric Breestraat district (more on this later). Tragically, Saskia lost three of their four children shortly after birth. Saskia herself would die young in 1642, making Rembrandt a widower at just thirty-six. In the following years, he dove into ill-fated relationships and fell into deeply difficult financial times. He eventually declared his insolvency—surrendering his assets and transferring his house to his son. Rembrandt auctioned many paintings, collected pieces, and moved to a more modest home in the then-working-class Rozengracht enclave. He would live, work, and create in Amsterdam for another thirteen years before dying in the fall of 1669. Nearly four centuries later, you can still walk in his footsteps as you explore the beloved capital. REMBRANDT HOUSE MUSEUM: Where Life Inspired Art The ideal starting point on your artistic journey is his first home. The city-center-located Rembrandt House Museum is where the artist lived, loved, lost, and worked for nearly twenty years. When Rembrandt moved into this upscale home in the vibrant and eclectic Breestraat in 1639, he had been commissioned to paint The Night Watch . When he was left tangled in debt and ultimately bankrupt in 1658, the historic home was sold at a foreclosure auction and subdivided into smaller residences. In the early 20th century, artists Jan Veth and Jozef Israëls purchased the property and hired designer and architect Karel de Bazel to restore the home. While only a few early paintings can be viewed here, the museum features many drawings and etchings—along with his printmaking studio, complete with a printing press.
BY DYLAN BARMMER
He’s widely regarded among history’s most talented and accomplished painters. Some even view him as one of the greatest visual artists ever to live and create. Yet when he left his first Amsterdam home after two decades of prolific productivity in the Netherlands’ colorful capital, he did so in deep debt—equal parts Baroque and broke. His name was Rembrandt Haremnszoon van Rijn. But during a prolific career that saw him author more than 300 paintings, 300 etchings, and 2,000 drawings and essentially define the Baroque era of art, Amsterdam’s most famous adopted son would be known simply by one indelible name: Rembrandt.
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