In conjunction with the exhibitions featuring Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669), here are two recent books to help you learn more about the artist and his times.
In a quest as rigorous and novel as the artist’s, Van de Wetering (1938-2021), who was a professor of art history, team-member and chairman of the Rembrandt Research Project and one of the world’s foremost specialists on Rembrandt and his work, reveals how Rembrandt became the revolutionary painter that would continue to fascinate the art world. This ground breaking exploration reconstructs Rembrandt’s theories and methods, shedding new light both on the artist’s exceptional accomplishments and on the theory and practice of painting in the Dutch Golden Age.
In a quest as rigorous and novel as the artist’s, Van de Wetering (1938-2021), who was a professor of art history, team-member and chairman of the Rembrandt Research Project and one of the world’s foremost specialists on Rembrandt and his work, reveals how Rembrandt became the revolutionary painter that would continue to fascinate the art world. This ground breaking exploration reconstructs Rembrandt’s theories and methods, shedding new light both on the artist’s exceptional accomplishments and on the theory and practice of painting in the Dutch Golden Age.Ernst van de Wetering. Rembrandt: The Painter at Work. Amsterdam, Amsterdam University Press, 2008 (2nd ed.).
Ernst van de Wetering. Rembrandt. The Painter Thinking. Amsterdam, Amsterdam University Press, 2016.
- Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum commemorated the 350th anniversary of the artist’s death in 2019 with the exhibition “All the Rembrandts”. In tandem with this exhibition Taschen published a large format monograph on Rembrandt’s drawings and etchings. The English language edition is:
Lamers-Schütze, Petra (ed.) ; Hinterding, Erik ; Schatborn, Peter. Rembrandt: Complete Drawings and Etchings. Cologne, Taschen, 2019.
To satisfy your curiosity about the evolution of the discipline of art history towards a broader consideration of women artists, here are a few suggestions among many.
- One of the founding articles of feminist expression in art history was published in 1971 in ArtNews, written by the art historian Linda Nochlin (1931-2017) under the title Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists? In an expanded and annotated edition, the eponymous work presents Nochlin’s research.
Linda Nochlin. Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists? London, Thames & Hudson, 2021.
- A graduate of University of London and a specialist in social history of art, Frances Borzello’s essay explores the whys and wherefores of female self-portraits in art, from the 16th century to the present day, and more generally the history of women artists in Western art.
Frances Borzello. Seeing Ourselves: Women’s Self-Portraits. London, Thames & Hudson, 2016 (2nd ed.).
- This catalog, published to coincide with the exhibition of the same title, presents a rich series of self-portraits by Canadian women artists, from the late 18th century to the present day.
Alicia Boutilier and Tobi Bruce. The artist herself: self-portraits by Canadian historical women artists. Exh. cat. Kingston, ON, Agnes Etherington Art Centre ; Hamilton, ON, Art Gallery of Hamilton, 2015.
Good reading!