جزییات کتاب
رامبراند نقاش معروف هلندی است که به سال ۱۶۰۶ در شهر لیدن به دنیا آمد و به سال ۱۶۶۹ درگذشت. نماینده بارز مکتب و سبک نقاشی هلندی و استاد سایه و روشن در نقاشی است. رامبراند پسر آسیابانی از مردم لیدن بود. مادرش او را به خواندن کتاب مقدس(تورات و انجیل) ترغیب میکرد و به این سبب خیال هنرآفرین او هرگاه از مشاهده و تصور زندگی واقعی هلند فراغتی مییافت بسوی شهر بیتالمقدس پرواز میکرد و داستانهای مذهبی را مجسم میساخت.
رمبراند تابلوهای زیادی هم به صورت سفارشی و هم به صورت غیرسفارشی کشید که میتوان آنها را برحسب تاریخی، اسطورهای، پرترههای سفارشی گروهی و نقاشیهای ژانر طبقهبندی نمود. بعضی ار جالبترین آثار رمبراند را این گونه مضامین تشکیل میدهند. کلمه ژانر که یک اصطلاح است به نقاشیهایی اطلاق میشود که صحنههای از زندگی عادی و چیزهای محلی و سوژههای این دنیایی و معمولی را نشان میدهند.
Since the second half of the last century art historians, realizing that the image of Rembrandta (TM)s work had become blurred with time, have attempted to redefine the artista (TM)s significance both as a source of inspiration to other artists and as a great artist in his own right. In order to carry on the work started by previous generations, a group of leading Dutch art historians from the university and museum world joined forces in the late 1960s in order to study afresh the paintings usually ascribed to the artist. The researchers came together in the Rembrandt Research Project which was established to provide the art world with a new standard reference work which would serve the community of art historians for the nearby and long future. They examined the originals of all works attributed to Rembrandt taking full advantage of todaya (TM)s sophisticated techniques including radiography, neutron activation autoradiography, dendrochronology and paint sample analysis a « thereby gaining valuable insight into the genesis and condition of the paintings. The result of this meticulous research is laid down chronologically in the following Volumes: THIS VOLUME: A Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings, Volume I, which deals with works from Rembrandta (TM)s early years in Leiden(1629-1631), published in 1982. A Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings, Volume II, covering his first years in Amsterdam (1631-1634), published in 1986. A Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings, Volume III, goes into his later years of reputation (1635-1642), published in 1990. Each Volume consists of a number of Introductory Chapters as well as the full Catalogue of all paintings from the given time period attributed to Rembrandt. In this catalogue each painting is discussed and examined in a detailed way, comprising a descriptive, an interpretative and a documentary section. For the authenticity evaluation of the paintings three different categories are used to divide the works in: A. Paintings by Rembrandt, B. Paintings of which Rembrandta (TM)s authorship cannot be positively either accepted or rejected, and C. Paintings of which Rembrandta (TM)s authorship cannot be accepted. This volume (Volume I) contains 730 pages, starting of with four introductory chapters and discussing 93 paintings. In clear and accessible explanatory text all different paintings are discussed, larded with immaculate images of each painting. Details are shown where possible, as well as the results of modern day technical imaging. In this volume the first ever works by Rembrandt are discussed, also using his etchings as comparison.