My Ode to Rembrandt

How can one enthuse about art without mentioning Rembrandt?

This exquisite Dutch painter and etcher is undoubtedly one of my most idolized artists, unsurprisingly. The acute perception within his portraits astound me every time I view them. As an amateur artist myself, I don't feel fit to judge his works and comment on the technicalities of his paintings, such as the careful composition of the piece or the contemplative use of space or the oh-so-profound meanings behind the context of his religious works.

I don't know jack about any of that.

But I do get inspired very quickly and very easily every time I see his paintings. Is it simply the accuracy of portraying real life that impresses me? Or is it something more? In what way does it function to make the portrait so convincing?

It may just be that I like the stone-cold expressions in every portrait, which, as a melodramatic teen constantly going through existential crises on a daily basis, is quite appealing. Every wrinkle, every swollen bag of skin beneath tired eyes, every unflattering cheek bone awkwardly protruding out of someone's face - all these incredibly true qualities are there. And they are added with compassion, if that makes sense. These characteristics are what marks us as individuals.

So much artwork is produced to encompass the ideal, which is great; those kinds of things are needed in life sometimes. Some contemporary artists are cheeky and produce satirical caricatures that ruthlessly depict very ugly things. That's interesting as well. But Rembrandt somehow finds a balance between these two extremes. His paintings are real. They are true. They do not mock, nor do they worship. What they do is accept humanity as it is portrayed - with compassion.

I've provided a couple of his paintings below, which I shall neglect to provide captions and citations. I don't intend to hinder the viewer's quest in educating himself in the works of Rembrandt. Nor do I intend to steal pictures from the photographers who provided these excellent-quality pictures. I just want to innocently share these masterful works with the rest of the world.