Self Portrait as the Apostle Paul (1661) by Rembrandt Harmensz van RijnRijksmuseum
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, known to history simply as Rembrandt, was the foremost Dutch painter of 17th Century. He was born in Leiden in 1606 and worked until his death in Amsterdam in 1669.
In this time he created over 300 paintings, many hundreds of etchings, and thousands of drawings of subjects ranging from mythologies and landscapes, to still lifes and group portraits.
However, he is best known today for his many self portraits. These were often made as private studies - we see him trying out poses and costumes - but they also tell the story of how his body aged and his temperament mellowed over the decades.
This self portrait, typical of his work, shows him aged around sixty and dressed as Paul the Apostle. In one hand he carries his parchments and the hilt of his sword pokes out from beneath his jacket. His tired eyes seem to study us.
It's a humble image of the saint. As if we had found him preaching on the streets of the city and brought him into the studio.
Self-Portrait (circa 1645) by Carel FabritiusMuseum Boijmans Van Beuningen
Carel Fabritius was a student of Rembrandt - and regarded as his most promising. Fabritius developed his own style which followed in the steps of Rembrandt, but with his own distinctive touch.
Fabritius' youthful appearence recalls the artistic and youthful confidence seen in Rembrandt's own early self portraits: slightly deshevelled, his uncovered, curled hair, and open shirt revealing his chest.
We can see in his eyes the same calmness and studiousness as in Rembrandt. It's as if Fabritius were sat across from us and we were painting his image.
Self Portrait as the Apostle Paul (1661) by Rembrandt Harmensz van RijnRijksmuseum
Many of Rembrandt's portraits feature their subject against a plain, dark background, with everything but their face shrouded in gloom.
Self-Portrait (circa 1645) by Carel FabritiusMuseum Boijmans Van Beuningen
But Fabritius created lighter portraits and introduced textured backgrounds. It gives the effect of seeing the subject inside the crumbling artist's studio.
It also shows a growing interest in optics and the study of reality, compared to the Renaissance focus on iconography and symbolism.
Around 1650, Fabritius moved to Delft, and his style developed further. The similarities between his work and that of his master became more tenuous. Fabritius may have gone on to become an Old Master in his own right, however, tragedy struck…
In 1654 a gunpowder store in the city centre of Delft caught fire and exploded. Fabritius was killed, along with a hundred others, and thousands were injured. Almost all of Fabritius' art was destroyed.
The Goldfinch (1654) by Fabritius, CarelMauritshuis
Only a few paintings survive, among them A View of Delft (1652) and The Goldfinch (1654), and as the centuries have passed these images have taken on a new poignancy.
