Self Portrait Drawing at a Window

"Self-Portrait Drawing at a Window" shows us an older Rembrandt, whose outlook on life has been dramatically changed by significant events. After suffering two miscarriages, Saskia bore a healthy son in 1641 but died herself the following year. At the time of this print, Rembrandt was embroiled in a triangular affair with two of his son’s caregivers. Here, Rembrandt portrays himself in a darkened interior, near a window that casts a diffused light onto his features. Similar to the earlier self-portrait, Rembrandt, looking in a mirror, appears to look directly at the viewer, but this time the gaze is unforgiving. Rembrandt’s expression shows signs of emotional stress—an unfanciful, honest portrayal of himself as an aging man.

However different, these portraits are bound together by Rembrandt’s consistent identification of himself as an artist. In both, he is depicted at work, suggesting this to be the most necessary and constant force in his life.