Large Self-Portrait

There is much evidence that Rembrandt’s series of almost forty reliably documented self-portraits – unique in the history of painting – served as more than merely a vehicle for the Amsterdam painters self-reflection. They werealso a suitable means for him to present himself to the public: a form of selfmarketing. The term “self-portrait” was not yet common in 17th-century Holland; such a painting was more likely to be referred to as “a portrait of Rembrandt painted by himself”. Thus for the ambitious collector, the painting was two things: Rembrandt’s image and at the same time an example of his art. Rembrandt has concentrated the meagre light on his face. His simple garment, trimmed only at the shoulders and collar, is gently illuminated and only hints at his stature. Entirely fixated on the ageing facial features, the viewer is initially distracted from the self-confident, almost challenging posture. The two thumbs hooked into a belt that seems to have been cursorily tied at the waist are a self-confident antipode to the melancholy, complexly painted countenance. Rembrandt’s face is further emphasised by its contrast to other parts of the portrait with their uniformly thick application of paint, in general a characteristic of his late works. In contrast to earlier self-portraits in which the artist is often dressed in sumptuous fabrics, Rembrandt has chosen a simple garment; perhaps it is even the artist’s smock that he actually wore in his studio. © Cäcilia Bischoff, Masterpieces of the Picture Gallery. A Brief Guide to the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna 2010